Overcoming the Past
by MoonlightLotus18
Summary: Yusei's felt a bit restless since the defeat of the Dark Signers so he decides to take a midnight ride. After a run in with some thugs he meets a girl with real trouble in her past. He wants to help her but he doesn't know what's wrong. Yusei x OC
1. Chapter 1

Hello people of Fanfiction! This is my first story and I hope you like it. It's a Yusei x OC story, but I am an avid Yusei x Aki fan. If you find any spelling or gramatical errors please let me know so I can fix them (I'm also notorious for leaving out words. I think a lot faster than I write ). Once you've finished reading please reveiw just don't totally bash it. Constructive comments are good and I'll accept them but not bashing. Without any more of my rambling, let the story begin!

Ch1. The Grey-Eyed Rescuer

It was a typical night in the Satellite, quiet with few people about. One of those few was Yusei Fudo. He was out for a midnight ride. It had just been one of those nights. Even as his friends all turned in for the night, he couldn't settle down. This had become a common thing as of late. Things had settled down some after the defeat of the Dark Signers but something was putting Yusei on edge.

_I have a feeling something is going to happen_, he thought as he cruised between the dilapidated buildings. He slowed and finally came to a stop at the edge of sea. He gazed at the beginnings of a bridge that would connect New Domino City to the Satellite. A gentle breeze ruffled his raven hair and he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Hiya!" Yusei spun around just in time to see three people charge at him. The nearest of the three aimed a kick at Yusei's head. Without thinking Yusei knocked their foot away, knocking them off balance and sending them sprawling toward the other two. The other two dodged their barreling companion and continued to charge Yusei. The four of them exchanged blows with one another, the third attacker having rejoined the fray after a rather violent collision with the ground. As far as Yusei could tell, all three of the attackers were male.

Their fighting abilities weren't a problem for Yusei. Though there were three of them, their attacks weren't very coordinated and fought as individuals rather than as a team. And for Yusei, having grown up on the rough streets of the Satellite, this was par for the course.

Yusei easily parried their blows with his arms and legs. The three were concerned with trying to kick him in the head so knocking them aside was rather easy. The three, obvious to Yusei, were not very good fighters. They didn't seem to get the hint that their kicks just weren't working. They also didn't protect the areas that were already injured or could be used as weak points. Yusei had managed to wind the three of them with blows to the torso and slow their movements with blows to the legs. But one of them charged with enough force to send Yusei skidding back a few feet. Another took advantage of his momentarily being off balance, and aimed a clenched fist at Yusei's abdomen. He had no time to react and took the full force of the blow. A sharp, piercing pain shot through his body. Feeling like his abdomen was on fire, he doubled over and fell to his knees.

_What was that?_ Yusei thought. _What did he do?_ When he looked down Yusei got his answer. Thick crimson freely flowed over his gloved hands, soiling his jacked as it went. Yusei barely had time to think before he was hit again. He was thrown backwards by a kick to the shoulder and landed on his side. Yusei could hardly move. That last blow had sent his senses reeling and the continuous flow of blood was not helping the matter. His vision began to blur and he knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself. _This isn't good. I need a plan!_ Another piercing pain shot through his torso causing him to cry out in pain. Still lying on his side, he could hardly make out the silhouettes of his attackers, charging him once again. He braced himself for the terrible onslaught he believed was coming. But it never came.

He managed to open his eyes slightly and what he saw surprised him. The three who had attacked him struggled to get to their feet. Once they managed to stand, they took off running in the opposite direction. _What the…_ A face appeared in his line of vision, looking as though it were shining. He could see their mouth moving, but he sounds coming out were unintelligible. The pain in his torso grew to an unbearable level, then everything faded into the darkness.

Yusei slowly began to come to, slowly opening his sapphire eyes. Above him he saw the face of a person, a girl. She had long mauve colored hair and light grey eyes. For a fraction of a second, he thought he saw pain hidden within the depths of her eyes but it was gone so quickly he wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not.

"W-where…am I?" he asked weakly.

"You're at my place." she responded softly. To Yusei she seemed a bit younger than himself, a few months or a year perhaps. Her tone was soft and warm, letting him know that she had no intention of hurting him. Yusei tried to sit up, by immediately his torso burned with pain. Startled by the intensity of the pain, he fell back, his breathing heavy. He felt the girl gently place her hands over his wounds before he was reclaimed by the darkness.

When he once again came to, he still felt the girl's hand resting gently over one of the stab wounds. She became aware that he was awake by the groan the issued from Yusei's mouth.

"Easy now, try not to move." she said gently. Yusei replied only with a nod of his head. "I'm sorry." she said. Yusei's eyes widened in surprise.

"For what?" He winced as he spoke.

"For not telling you to stay still so you wouldn't hurt yourself." she replied.

"It's not your fault." he said quietly.

"I bandaged your wounds the best I could but I guess it wasn't enough. I should have done this earlier." Yusei heard a twinge of sorrow in her voice when she spoke.

"Hold still." Yusei felt the cool night air on his torso as the girl pushed up his shirt, just enough to reveal his wounds, and carefully removed the bandages. When she was finished, she gently placed one hand over the deepest wound. Almost immediately it began to sear with pain. A moan issued from Yusei's mouth and his breathing once again became heavy. The grey-eyed girl gently placed her other hand on Yusei's forehead.

"It's okay, relax. Relax." she said in a calm gentle tone. She didn't panic; it almost seemed that she had done this dozens of times before. As she spoke, Yusei felt the pain leave his body. He relaxed and his breathing evened. He thought he had seen a sort of light before the pain left his body but he thought the pain was making him hallucinate. With one hand still on his forehead, he felt the girl's other hand trace over his wounds. They were soft, gentle, and warm and his wounds caused him no more pain.

"There," she said, "all done. Do you think you can sit up?"

"I can try." Yusei replied. He made another attempt to sit up. This time though, he felt no shot of pain, just utter exhaustion. After a moment or two he was able to push himself into a sitting position. He then looked at the girl sitting on his right. She wore a black, long-sleeved, turtle-neck shirt and a pair of worn blue jeans. A small blue bag lay on the floor off to her left.

They were in a small apartment with several windows. Yusei noticed he was laying on an old beat up couch and the grey-eyed girl was kneeling beside him. Not much else was in the apartment, but he figured they must be a few floors up for he saw the tops of the adjacent buildings out the glassless windows.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You were attacked by three gang members, and stabbed twice. I was able to drive them off and bring you here before you bled to death."

"Why'd they attack me?"

"You were in their territory. The attack all outsiders who dare step foot on to their turf." she replied. "Do you feel alright?"

"I feel fine, just a bit exhausted. But at least my wounds stopped…" Yusei stopped mid-sentence. He had looked down to examine his wounds; but they were nowhere to be seen. Not so much as a scar was visible on the slightly tanned skin of his midsection. Yusei's eyes widened, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Did you…" he asked, looking at the girl beside him. She hung her head and only nodded in response.

"How?" he asked. He was completely baffled. The girl kept her head down as she spoke.

"It's something I've been able to do since I was a child. I can also ease the pain of other people." The girl continued to stare at the floor, as thought she were ashamed of her gifts.

"Something wrong? It seems like you're ashamed of what you can do." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, startled by the contact.

"You… don't think I'm a monster?" she asked, finally lifting her head and looking Yusei in the eyes. There was so much in her eyes that didn't register on her face. Pain, sorrow, fear, surprise, it was all swimming in the soft grey of her eyes.

"What?" Once it registered that she had spoken, Yusei was startled by the question.

"Its' just that," she cast her gaze downward once more, " when most people find out what I'm capable of, they…they run away calling me a 'freak' or saying that I'm 'inhuman', a monster." she finished. The tone of her voice sounded as if she were about to burst into tears. Yusei just stared in astonishment. He found it incredibly hard to fathom the teenage girl sitting next to him being a monster or inhuman in any way.

"Having these gifts doesn't make you a monster, they make you special." he finally replied. Once again her grey eyes met Yusei's blue ones.

"Thank you." she replied with a small, sad smile. Yusei was about to reply when a breath of wind swept through the building's glassless windows. It wasn't frigid, but cool enough to make him shiver and realize he wasn't wearing his jacket. Noticing this, the grey-eyed girl, unperturbed by the chill due to the long-sleeve shirt she wore, picked something up off the floor and offered it to Yusei.

"Here. I got as much of the blood off as I could." She held a bundle in her hands. Yusei realized it was his jacked and his riding gloves. He was amazed that there was no blood to be seen on them. He slipped them on and immediately felt warmer.

"We should go before those three decide to show up with reinforcements." the girl said. She helped Yusei to his feet and he noticed, now that he was standing up, that she wasn't much shorter than himself; the top of her head coming up to just under his nose. Suddenly she became rigid.

"What is it?" Yusei asked.

"Did you hear that?" Yusei shook his head. He hadn't heard anything. The girl closed her eyes, seeming to be straining her ears, and then opened them again. "They're here." she said. "Come on, this way." She led him out of the apartment and down a hallway that opened to the fire escape.

"What about my runner?" Yusei asked as he followed her down the fire escape.

"I hid it in the abandoned subway tunnels. Look out!" She quickly pulled him between two buildings and motioned for him to keep quiet. He hadn't the slightest inclination who or what they were hiding from but he wasn't about to argue, the girl seemed to know what she was doing. They stood there for quite awhile. Yusei began to wonder if the girl did this on a regular basis, hiding from territorial gang members.

"I think they're gone. Let's go, the subway is this way." They ran along a wide, empty street then turned right toward a set of stairs leading underground. They were barely visible through the darkness. _She had good eyes_, Yusei thought._ I never would've seen those stairs._ Then a voice called from behind them.

"There they are! After them!"

"Quick, into the tunnel!" the girl said as they reached the staircase.

"They're headed into the subway tunnels! Hurry before we lose them!" Yusei wasn't sure why they were heading into the tunnel. It would be easy for those following them to catch them in the tunnel. The grey-eyed girl obviously knew something he didn't. They reached the platform and turned right, heading up the tunnel. All Yusei could see in front of him was darkness, absolute and impenetrable.

"Jump to the tracks and keep running. They won't follow us in the dark." the girl said as she jumped on to the tracks. Yusei followed suit but doubted that they wouldn't be followed. They ran almost twenty feet before they were swallowed by the darkness. It was another thirty feet before they slowed down.

"We can stop now. They aren't likely to follow us." the girl said.

"Why's that?"

"Too easy to miss us or get ambushed." she stated simply. "Your runner's this way."

"Which way? I can't see anything." He wasn't sure how the girl knew where she was going, but he hadn't the slightest clue which way was which.

"Put your arm out." she said.

"Huh?"

"Put out your arm."

"Which one?"

"Doesn't matter." Yusei stuck out his right arm not knowing what the girl was planning to do. "Now lower your arm a bit." Yusei, though thoroughly baffled, did as he was told. Before he had lowered his much at all, his hand came into contact with something. He wasn't sure what is was, but it felt rather small.

"That's my shoulder incase you're wondering." the girl said. "Just keep your hand there until we get to your runner." They began walking down the tunnel that way: the girl in front and Yusei behind her with his hand resting on her shoulder. Yusei wondered how she had known he was only an arm's length away from her when he couldn't see an inch in front of him.

"Can you see down here?" he asked.

"Not in a normal sense, no." she replied.

"Then how did you know where I was standing?" He heard her sigh, not an annoyed sigh, but more of a sorrowful sigh.

"Because healing wounds and relieving pain aren't the only gifts I have. I can also see…I'm not sure what it is, but even when it's pitch black I can see the outline of people. The people who were following us knew that which is why they wouldn't follow us down here. They'd be at a serious disadvantage." She spoke with the same melancholy tone as when she told Yusei about her other abilities. He could picture the pain in those soft grey eyes.

"That's how you knew they were in the building." he said.

"Umhm. That's another reason people run away from me. They think I have the evil eye or something." She sounded completely depressed and lonely. _I wonder if she's ever even had a friend_.

They walked quite a distance in silence, but it wasn't at all awkward. After a while a small pinprick of light appeared in the tunnel ahead of them, signaling they were coming to another entrance to the subway. As they got closer, Yusei could just make out the outline of some sort of vehicle. It lay just beyond the reach of the light coming in from aboveground so that no passerby on the street would be able to see it.

"That's your runner." the girl said as the stepped into the light. Yusei removed his hand from her shoulder and went over to his runner and checked it over.

"I looked at it when I brought it down here. I didn't see anything wrong with it, but then again I'm no expert." the girl said walking up beside the runner. Yusei stood up, satisfied that nothing was wrong or out of place, and turned to the girl.

"Thanks," he said, "for everything." The girl nodded in reply. He sat on his runner and put on his helmet before returning his gaze to the girl.

"One last thing." he said.

"What's that?" she asked sheepishly.

"Can I know your name?" The girl was a bit surprised by the question. It occurred to Yusei that not many people, if indeed anyone, had bothered or cared enough to learn her name.

"Vaith." she said. "My name is Vaith."

"Yusei." he said extending his hand. Vaith took it, though hesitantly, and shook it.

"You should get going. I'm sure you have people who worry about you." she said as she took a step back from the runner.

"Will you be alright on your own?" Yusei asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Yusei started up his runner and gave Vaith one final nod before riding off down the tunnel. Yusei couldn't help but wonder if Vaith would be alright on her own. She seemed like she had never been cared about and was always sad. _She seemed extremely lonely._


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. My English teache loves giving us papers to write. My other school work got in the way too. I'm sooooo sorry T_T. I'll try harder next time. Anyway here is chapet two. It's not as good as the first chapter due to the fact it is a bit of a transitional chapter. I'll try to get the third chapter as soon as I can. (Hopefully that won't be too long). And since I forgot to do this in the first chapter I'll do it now. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5d's or any of its charatcters. They are the property of Kazuki Takahashi (man's a genius) but I do own the plot and Vaith Ishihara. So now that I have that out of the way, without further delay, I give you Chapter 2 of Overcoming the Past. Enjoy.**

Ch2. A Welcomed Return & An Unexpected Return

"But we don't know how long he's been gone! He might need out help!" reasoned a twelve or so year old boy with long curly red hair. He was dressed in an orange shirt that looked like a dress covered by a long, blue shirt, a yellow hat on his head that had a orange smile faced button pinned to it, and brown sandals on his feet. His eyes were a stone grey.

"Relax Rally. This is Yusei we're talking about. I'm sure he's fine." replied a boy about six years Rally's senior. He had short, light brown hair and matching eyes and was definitively a bit on the heavy side. He wore an olive green t-shirt with a brown sleeveless vest overtop with only the top button fastened. His pants were a dark forest green held up by a black belt and he wore black boots.

"He may have a point Tank. Even with the Dark Signers gone the Satellite is still pretty rough." said another eighteen year old. He had black hair pulled back in a ponytail; small circular rimmed glasses framed his green eyes. He wore a white long sleeved button up shirt covered with a green sleeveless vest, brown knee-length shorts and brown shoes.

"Don't start Nervin. Yusei knows how to take care of himself." added yet another of Yusei's friends. He was the same age as Nervin and Tank, wore a blue-green long sleeved polo covered by a white short sleeved button up shirt, a blue bandana over his brown eyes, black jeans and blue sneakers.

"But Blitz something might have happened to Yusei. Like Rally said, we don't know how long he's been gone. He didn't leave a note, which is unusual." continued Nervin. "What do you think Blister?" he asked, turning to an older guy in the corner of their hideout. The man had dark brown hair and matching eyes, wore a white long sleeved shirt covered by an deep emerald green vest, black pants, a brown belt, brown calf high boots, and a silver necklace. On his head was a cowboy hat.

"I think you guys worry too much. He managed to evade Sector Security and save the Satellite with barely a scratch." he said.

"I agree. Yusei can be hard headed, but he can handle himself." added a blond boy who looked to be about the same age as Nervin, Blitz, and Tank. He had violet eyes, a rather serious expression on his face, wore a plain black sleeveless shirt, silver A shaped earrings, navy blue pants and grey calf high riding boots.

"But Jack what if something happened to him?" begged Rally.

"If he was in any real trouble we would know." he said as he raised his right arm, showing Rally and the others his Mark of the Dragon.

"He does have a point there Rally." Nervin said.

"But…"

"Come off it Rally. Besides I think I hear something." replied Blister. They were all silent, straining their ears to pick up even the slightest sound. Despite their efforts they heard nothing out of the ordinary.

"What did you hear?" asked Nervin, his voice a little shaky.

"I'm not sure, but I think it's getting closer." Once again they all fell silent, hardly daring to breathe. Every second felt like an eternity, but finally they heard a soft sound coming from down the tunnel. At first it was almost imperceptible but gradually grew louder.

"What is it?" asked Tank. The apprehension in his voice was unmistakable. He was ready to duck for cover at a moments notice.

"It sounds like an engine." Jack replied.

"Yusei!" Rally shouted above the ever approaching engine. He couldn't contain his excitement and was jumping up and down. Sure enough Yusei came down the tunnel and stopped his runner right in front of the hideout he shared with his friends. He barely had a chance to remove his helmet before Rally tackled him.

"Yusei! Where ya been?" he asked with his arms still wrapped around Yusei's neck. He didn't respond.

"Ya might want to loosen your grip little buddy. I don't think he can breathe." said Tank.

"Oh, sorry!" Rally loosened his grip and let Yusei get some air to his lungs.

"Thanks Rally."

"Hehe. No problem. So, where ya been?"

"I went out for a drive but ran into some trouble." he replied.

"You had us all worried sick." Rally continued.

"You had Rally and Nervin worried sick." corrected Jack. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest. He wore an expression that implied that he wasn't too happy.

"Sorry to make you worry." Yusei said to Rally. "I didn't expect to be gone long and like I said I ran into trouble."

"More like trouble found you." joked Blister. They all laughed. Yusei did have a knack for getting into trouble, even as a kid. He'd usually get Jack involved too. Some things just never change.

"What kind of trouble?" asked Jack. "It must have been pretty bad to keep you away most of the night." Yusei recounted his tale, omitting being stabbed and how Vaith had healed him. He also never mentioned that Vaith was a girl. His friends listened diligently and interrupted him only once or twice. After he was finished silence fell. It was Jack who finally broke it.

"You just can't stay out of trouble can you?" he asked his face still serious, but his tone joking.

"Trouble seems to be your middle name." added Blister.

"You're okay. That's what matters." Rally said with a smile. "By the way, this Vaith you mentioned, what are they like?" Yusei thought for a moment before responding. He chose his words carefully.

"Vaith was pretty quite, a bit withdrawn but knew how to handle an emergency. Vaith also seemed to have been through a lot."

"I'd say. Anyone who grew up here has been through a lot." Blister commented.

"I don't think it had much to do with growing up in the Satellite." Yusei said.

"Why's that?"

"The look on Vaith's face reminded me of someone who was trying to forget something painful that happened a long time ago. So I think it must have been something from Vaith's childhood, a single event." An uncomfortable silence fell and no one was sure what to say.

"Well it's a good thing you came back in one piece. Next time don't run off by yourself."

"Jack, you sound like Martha." said Rally. Everyone laughed. Jack just scowled.

A few days passed and things returned to normal around the abandoned subway station, or at least as normal as they ever got. But as usual, normalcy didn't last long.

"Man, I lost _again_!" Rally cried in frustration. He had just lost his third duel in a row, his fifth in the last hour.

"Better luck next time Rally." Blitz said with a laugh.

"Jack, what am I doing wrong?" he pleaded.

"You're not thinking. You're so focused on your own strategy that you're not even thinking about how your opponent may counter your moves." he replied bluntly. At about the same time a black on orange runner pulled up in front of their hangout.

"Hey, it's Crow!" Rally shouted. The person on the runner dismounted his runner and removed his helmet. He was about Yusei's age, had bright orange hair and grey eyes. His outfit consisted of an orange t-shirt with a brown sleeveless vest, olive-green forearm length gloves with the fingers cut off, a blue headband with two silver rings, dark green pants, and greenish brown boots. He had several criminal markers on his face. An 'M' on his forehead, a streak under each eye, and a single dot above and diagonal to the 'M'. Yusei and Rally had them too, but they weren't as decorated as Crow. Rally's was a single triangle beneath his left eye and Yusei's was a triangle and a jagged streak under his left eye as well. Crow had acquired so many marking after numerous run-ins with Sector Security. If anyone had a knack for trouble, it was Crow.

"Hey Crow, long time no see." added Blitz.

"Guys, I'm gonna need your help." he said. His face was solemn, a stark contrast to his normally exuberant demeanor. Everyone knew something was up when Crow wasn't cracking jokes.

"What's wrong?" asked Rally.

"I was coming down the tunnel just to stop by and pay you guys a visit when I saw someone lying on the ground. They looked unconscious. I didn't put 'em on my runner because I was afraid they'd fall off and get hurt if I hit a bump."

"Where are they?" Jack asked.

"A ways down the tunnel." he replied. "Let's grab Yusei and go."

"Yusei's not here. He went early this morning." Nervin said.

"Then I'll go with Jack and Crow." said Blister as he got to his feet.

"Come on then, let's go." The three of them headed down the tunnel Crow had arrived from at a run.

"Did you see what kind of condition they were in?" Blister asked.

"Other than being unconscious I didn't see anything but some rather nasty bruises. I didn't see and blood and as far as I could tell they go in a fight, got beaten pretty badly and just passed out." Crow replied. They ran the rest of the way in silence. Jack and Blister were mentally preparing themselves for what they might see but when they finally got to the unconscious person they were completely surprised by what they saw. A girl only a year or two younger than Jack was lying on her side on the ground between the train rails. Her long mauve colored hair was sprawled around her head. The sleeves of her black long sleeved turtle neck were rolled up revealing some nasty bruises on her arms. Her worn blue jeans were a little tattered and a blue bag lay a few feet from her. But the bruises on her arms weren't he worst of it. There were dark purple bruises on her neck just visible over the collar of her turtle neck.

"It seems that you conveniently forgot to mention that the unconscious person you saw was a cute girl." Blister commented. Crow shrugged.

"It slipped my mind."

"Sure it did." said Jack.

"Anyway, we have to get her back to the station." said Crow. "She's taller than me, so Jack, Blister, you two will have to carry her."

"She doesn't look too heavy," said Blister, "This shouldn't be too hard." Blister stepped forward and knelt next to the girl. He took one of her arms and put it around his neck and took hold of her hand. Jack did the same on the other side. They each wrapped their free arm around her waist and stood up. Crow picked up the blue bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's get going then." Crow said. The three of them headed back up the tunnel with the unconscious girl in tow. It was a lot slower on the return trip; walking while carrying an unconscious person is a bit difficult.

"How much farther?" Jack asked. He wouldn't admit it but he was getting tired.

"Yeah. Despite her small size, she seems to be getting heavier." Blister complained.

"We're back guys!" Crow yelled up the tunnel when the abandoned station was in sight. Rally, Blitz, Nervin and Tank looked up to see Crow. Then they saw Jack and Blister carrying the girl. Blitz and Tank rushed over and took the girl from Jack and Blister. They carried her inside and laid her on the couch. Jack and Blister sat down wearily out on the platform, massaging their shoulders. Crow walked in a set the bag on the floor next to the couch.

"Is she alright?" Rally asked.

"I didn't see any open wounds, but she's got some nasty bruises. These ones around her neck," Crow pointed to the small slivers of deep purple visible above the turtle neck, "look as if she'd been choked."

"Maybe that's why she is unconscious." Jack said still massaging his shoulders.

"Maybe. But anyway she should be alright once she wakes up." Crow replied.

**Love it? Find any typos or other mistakes? Let me know. Please review. And much love to the people who reviewed chapter one. ^^ MoonlightLotus18**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys I'm back. I'm sorry this took so long, AP tests and school projects got in the way for the last couple weeks of school. This chapter is kinda short but if I had written it as I had originally intended it would have been so long it would reach half way to infinity. Alright, enough of my rambling. Here is chapter three of Overcoming the Past so please enjoy.**

Ch. 3- Meeting the Gang

"When you said you found someone in the tunnel you forgot to mention it was a cute girl, Crow," Blitz said as he and the others all sat around waiting for the girl to come to.

"Shut up. I already got that from Jack and Blister." Blitz sat in the chair by the computer, Tank and Nervin on either side of him. Crow was leaning against the wall where he could see the couch and the girl's face. Jack and Blister were by the doorway.

"If she's this cute when she's out like a light imagine how cute she is when she's smiling," added Tank.

"If you guys keep talking like that I'm gonna get sick. Besides if she hears you your going to make us all seem like a bunch of creepers," remarked Rally.

"You're just saying that because you're not our age yet," replied Blitz, "You'll understand in a few years."

"Somehow I doubt that I'll ever understand how your minds work." Blitz opened his mouth to comment but then a small groan came from the direction of the couch.

"Guys, I think she's coming around," said Blister. The girl groaned again then slowly opened her grey eyes. She struggled slightly to sit up, and when she did she placed her palm on her throbbing head. The guys didn't say a word. Sensing that other people were in the general vicinity she looked around and noticed Crow leaning against the wall, Blitz, Nervin, and Tank by the computer, and Jack and Blister by the doorway. Discovering that she was surrounded by strangers, all of them male, made her little more than slightly uncomfortable, thought there was no visible change in her facial expression.

"You alright?" Crow asked. She hesitated, considering how she should answer.

Finally she nodded, "Yes, I think so."

"We found you unconscious in the tunnel so we brought you here," Crow continued, "This is where we hang out. Over by the computer we have Blitz in the bandana, Nervin in the glasses and Tank is the big one." He pointed to each of them in turn as if introducing contestants on a game show.

"Over by the door is Jack the Blond and Blister in the cowboy hat," Jack merely nodded to the girl, while simultaneously scowling at Crow for proclaiming him 'Jack the Blond'. Blister waved. "The kid is Rally," Crow continued, gesturing to Rally who was sitting by the doorway with Jack and Blister. "And I am their great and fearless leader Crow," he concluded. To top it off, he gave a bow causing the other boys to all roll their eyes.

"Sure Crow, but who was it that saved the Satellite and the city from the Dark Signers?" Rally countered.

"That's just a technicality," Crow said waving him off, "And it's beside the point. I am still your fearless leader."

"Yeah, Crow's definitely fearless," added Blitz.

"Thank you Blitz."

"Unless clowns are involved," added Tank. The boys, except for Crow, roared with laughter.

"Yeah sure, rub it in," he commented sulking against the wall. The others had been laughing so hard they hadn't noticed a runner pull up to the quaint little hideout.

"What's so funny?" asked the blue-eyed youth who had just gotten off his runner and removed his helmet.

"We're just laughing at Crow and his fear of clowns," Rally managed to respond though his fits of laughter.

"I see." A small smirk formed and his lips as he looked over at Crow, but his eyes never made it that far. His eyes widened in surprise at the girl resting on the couch.

"Vaith!" She had swung her feet over the edge of the couch and was sitting, head down due to the throbbing pain running through it. Hearing her name she slowly looked up, trying not to bring on another dizzy spell. Once her brain registered what she was seeing, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Yusei?" Everyone abruptly stopped laughing. It was as if someone had just said that a beloved family member had been found dead.

"Wait, you mean you two know each other!" Crow questioned incredulously.

"Yeah..." but before Yusei could finish, Jack interrupted him.

"She wouldn't be the same Vaith as the one who helped you out a few days ago would she?" He gave Yusei an accusing look.

"Actually she is," he replied calmly.

"And you didn't mention the fact that you met a girl? We thought we were your best friends," Crow complained.

Yusei shrugged stepping into the hideout and said, "Slipped my mind."

"That sounds awfully familiar," Blister said rubbing his chin in mock thoughtfulness.

"Well, I think I should leave now," Vaith said. She was in pretty bad shape, but she was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. Ignoring the pain that wracked her whole body and the throbbing of her head, she stood up. Almost as soon as she did so the entire room began to spin uncontrollably and her ankles gave out; she plummeted toward the ground. Yusei, being the closest one to her, caught her before she hit the floor. He had one hand wrapped around her waist and the other her shoulders and he held her firmly against him. Her head rested on his shoulder and her hands on his chest. The others were on their feet as well.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Yusei said, "You're hardly in any condition to stand up let alone walk. It's probably best that you stay here until you've recovered enough to look after yourself."

"He's got a point," added Crow. Vaith opened her mouth to protest. Though things were still spinning, over Yusei's shoulder she could just make out the concerned expressions on everyone's faces, Rally was pale as a ghost. She sighed, knowing that protesting was futile and she wouldn't be able to leave even if she tried. She would either collapse first or they would all bar the doorway. And she wouldn't have the strength to fight them.

"Alright," she conceded her voice barely above a whisper, "I'll stay."

"Good," Yusei responded. He removed his arm from around her waist and gently sat her back on the couch. The others sat down, now that she was out of danger of plummeting to the floor.

"You should try and get some sleep," Yusei said. Her only response was a nod. She pulled her feet back up on the couch and turned to face the other way, away from everyone. Now she was stuck in a strange place, beaten and battered, hardly able to stand, or even see straight, and to top it all off she was stuck with seven men and a child she barely knew. She was by no means fond of the situation to say the least, but what choice did she have? Not much of one really.

**So what do you think? I know it's a bit on the short side. Please bear with me. I've already started chapter four and I'll post that as soon as I finish writing and revising it. (If I post it as soon as I finish writing it, it will look as if some elementry schooler took a wack at trying to continue the story. Yes my rough drafts are that bad). Anyway, as always please leave a review. Oh, and much love to all of you have reviewed my story already: NinjaSheik, Sister of the Pharaoh, Mirror's Mirage, exleader75 (who has helped me with my punctuation troubles), jory014, and those who have added this story to your favorites list. Thank you much!**

**~MoonlightLotus18**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Chpater 4 is finally finished. I don't know how long I spent writing and revising this. It's a bit on the long side (when I typed it it came out to just over six pages) so please bear with me if it seems full of fluff, I didn't do it intentionally. As always please notify me if you find any mistakes in spelling and grammer (definately not my forte). I think a few of the characters may be a little OOC but no overly so, just thought I'd warn you. As you all already know I don't own anything except the character of Vaith and the story, everything else belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Now, enough of my babble, please enjoy the story.**

Ch 4- Friends or No Friends, the Recovery Continues

"She hasn't said much," commented Rally. He, Blitz, Nervin, and Tank sat out by the tracks of the abandoned subway, far enough away where Vaith wouldn't be able to hear them. Yusei was on the tracks just outside the doorway to the hideout working on his runner. Vaith was quietly watching him. Jack and Blister had gone out to pay Martha a visit.

"Well yeah. I mean, she's in an unfamiliar place with a bunch of guys she hardly knows. She's bound to feel at least a little awkward," Nervin explained.

"Yeah, how would you feel if you woke up in a strange place surrounded by a bunch of girls you didn't know?" inquired Blitz.

"Like screaming," Rally replied with a shudder.

"Exactly, you'd feel so awkward you'd feel like screaming. She feels awkward too, but since Vaith is older and more mature than you are, she just keeps her feelings to herself and doesn't say much."

"Well, now that I think about it she kinda reminds me of Yusei," Tank said thoughtfully.

"How so?" asked Blitz.

"Well, she's really quiet for one. And we all know that Yusei was never the talkative type. She also keeps her thoughts to herself, not letting on to what she's thinking. I mean, when was the last time you knew exactly what Yusei was thinking. And she's also pretty hard to read. She always wears a blank expression that doesn't give anything away. Just by looking at her you wouldn't know if she was uncomfortable about being here or not. Yusei also tends to keep his thoughts to himself unless they concern the safety of other people," Tank explained.

"Hm, I see your point," replied Nervin, "She does seem to be kind of distant too. Most people think Yusei is distant, that is, until they get to know him."

"She doesn't smile much either," added Blitz.

"Do you still think she has a smile that could light up a room?" Rally asked sarcastically. Tank seemed to have missed the sarcasm.

"For sure, I mean come on. Look at her face. It's cute even when she's wearing a blank expression so just imagine how adorable it would look if she smiled," Tank said wistfully. He, Blitz, and Nervin sighed thinking about it. Rally was clearly repulsed.

"I'm sorry I asked," he murmured to himself. A few days had passed since Vaith had been found in the tunnel. She was recovering slowly; she still had dizzy spells if she moved too quickly and her body still ached all over. Moving about usually brought on an onslaught of aching muscles, throbbing bruises, and one splitting headache, so she tried to move as little as possible. To occupy her time as she lay there not doing much of anything, Vaith carefully observed the people she was staying with, observing their day-to-day activities and how they interacted with one another. From the very beginning it was clear that the group of friends were extremely close. When ever something needed to be done everyone pitched in to help. They all got along so well and were extremely comfortable with one another. Just seeing they interacted so well together made Vaith even more uncomfortable than she already was. As she watched how they conducted their everyday lives she took snapshots in her mind and filed them away for later use.

"So who gave you all the bruises?" Yusei asked without glancing up from his runner.

"Guys from before and about twelve of their friends," Vaith replied. _I knew I shouldn't have left her by herself_, Yusei thought to himself. He finally looked up from his runner and looked Vaith over. She was lying on the couch watching him work on his runner. She was still pretty much bed-ridden or couch-ridden rather. The only immediate sign of injury was the bruise around her neck. Just over the collar of her shirt Yusei could see part of the hand-shaped bruise. It was deep purple and brown close to her collar and greenish-yellow around the edge. The array of color on her neck was a sign that it was healing, but it was still a gruesome sight to see. Whoever had attacked her meant business because it was no easy feat to bruise someone so badly without a considerable amount of effort.

"Why did they attack you?" he asked.

"Payback I guess," she said quietly. Yusei sighed, an apologetic, guilty sigh.

It had now been a week since Vaith had been found in the tunnel. She could move around and walk a bit, but only short distances before she became dizzy and stood on the precipice of collapse. The furthest from the hideout she managed to go was about twenty feet up the tunnel. She made the walk every morning just to stretch her legs and keep her limbs from getting stiff. Once she got there she would remain there for most of the day on account that she simply didn't have the strength to make it all the way back. The guys had offered to help her back but she politely refused saying she needed to do it on her own strength. It was several hours before she could muster up the strength to get back again, but in the mean time she continued to watch Yusei and the others from her post, filing away snapshots of their activities.

"Why is she avoiding us like the plague?" inquired Blitz, "Did we do something to offend her?"

"I told you all those comments about how cute she is were going to creep her out. So now she probably thinks you, Tank, and Nervin are all creepers," Rally remarked. The three of them gave him a look.

"I don't think that's quite it," Yusei interjected. He was working on a laptop running a diagnostic on his runner. Rally, Blitz, Tank, and Nervin sat around him.

"What do ya mean Yusei?" asked Nervin.

"I just think there's some other reason she keeps her distance," he explained as he typed something on the laptop. "And I mean more than just being uncomfortable being surrounded by strangers of the opposite sex." _I just can't quite put my finger on it_, he thought to himself.

"What makes you think that?" Nervin asked.

"It's just a feeling I have," he replied, "There seems to be a lot more to her than what you'd figure at first glance."

"Have you tried talking to her?" asked Rally. Yusei never got a chance to answer the question

"Uh Rally, in case you haven't noticed she's not much of a talker," remarked Blitz.

"You could still try talking to her. You guys said she felt awkward being here so why not try to break the ice a little by talking to her?" Rally replied feeling slightly frustrated with his older companions.

"She seems to be the type of person who doesn't say much of anything unless you talk to her first," offered Yusei, "At least that's what I gathered from the few times I've spoken to her."

"See? Yusei's taking it slow and steady in trying to get her to relax a bit, but you guys," he looked at Blitz, Nervin, and Tank accusingly, "You guys are avoiding her as much as she's avoiding you. Just try talking to her. You guys are always taking about how cute you think she is, well, here's you chance to get to know her." The three of them, Nervin, Blitz, and Tank, were left stunned. A small smirk spread across Yusei's face. Rally may be about six years younger than them but he was obviously wiser than his years would suggest. It seemed like Yusei was starting to rub off on him.

"Well said Rally," Yusei commented and put his hand on Rally's head. Blitz, Nervin, and Tank were still too stunned to speak.

"Thanks Yusei," he replied. He then turned around and headed up the tunnel. Yusei was confused, but his face stayed calm as it usually did.

"Rally, where are you going?" he asked.

"To talk to Vaith," he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't think that's a good idea right now," Yusei stated plainly. Rally stopped, and turned around to look at his friend.

"Why not?" he asked genuinely perplexed.

"Because," Yusei pointed in Vaith's direction, "She's asleep. She usually falls asleep around this time and stays asleep for quite awhile," he explained. Rally looked up the tunnel. Vaith lay on the concrete platform with one arm by her side and the other resting on her stomach. Her breathing was deep and steady; clearly she was asleep.

"I guess I'll talk to her later," Rally said sheepishly.

Vaith yawned and stretched, having just woken up from her nap. Her midday nap restored some of her strength, but not enough to get her back to the couch inside the hideout.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Rally asked as he sat down next to her.

"It was pretty nice," she replied. Then an awkward silence fell between them. Talking to someone he hardly knew proved to be much harder than Rally had originally anticipated. But he was determined to have a decent conversation and get her to open up a little.

"So…uh, how was it that you met Yusei?" he asked. Immediately he felt like and idiot. _That was a dumb question,_ he thought.

"You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Not in much detail. All he really said was that he was attacked and that you help him out," Rally replied with a shrug. Vaith thought for a moment, carefully considering how to approach Rally's question. _If he didn't tell them everything he must've had a reason. I guess it wouldn't hurt to fill in some of the gaps as long as I don't reveal too much._

"Well I know he was standing by the new bridge just staring out over the water when he was attacked. I'm not sure how long he fought with the three guys, but when I showed up he was already on the ground. The three of them were about to beat him to a pulp so I stepped in and managed to drive them away. When I turned around to check on Yusei, he was already out like a light. I hid his runner in the subway tunnels and brought him back to my place. He must have been hit pretty hard because he was out for awhile. When he finally came to and managed to get his bearings, we sneaked passed the reinforcements that had shown up. I took him to his runner, then he left," she explained.

"Who was it that attacked him?" Rally asked.

"Low level gang members on patrol duty I guess. They attack anyone who enters their territory without permission so the pier must be part of their territory," Vaith answered. That certainly wasn't the answer Rally had expected. He had expected something along the line of 'thugs with nothing better to do with their time' or 'a bunch of punks' not a detailed analysis.

"You sure seem to know a lot about them," Rally said observantly.

"It wasn't the first time I'd dealt with them."

"Was it them that attacked you in the tunnel?"

"They were the ones who attacked me, yes, but not in the tunnel. They ambushed me in a dark ally not very far from here, but I managed to get down in the tunnel and away from them before I passed out." Another silence fell between them. Rally looked up at Vaith, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin rested on her knees, her gaze turned downward. But other than that her face betrayed nothing, just as Tank had said. _I'll never know how Yusei figures out what she's thinking or how she's feeling,_ he thought.

"Vaith," he said finally.

"Yes?" she answered in a quite yet gentle sounding voice.

"Did any of us…" Vaith looked at him with a questioning glance, waiting for him to continue, "Did any of us…do something to offend you or make you feel uncomfortable?" he asked solemnly. Vaith was surprised by the question but more so by the expression on Rally's face. It was as if he felt guilty asking the question, like he was sure one of them had done something to offend her. She shook her head.

"No, what would make you think any of you had offended me?"

"It's just that you keep your distance and don't really talk to anyone. We thought we might have said or done something to offend you," he explained.

"Oh," she said once again casting her gaze downward. Now it was Rally's turn to be surprised by Vaith's reaction. _Is she upset about something?_

"It's nothing you guys did," she began in a depressed tone, "It's just that I'm really adept at dealing with strangers."

"Is it because we're all guys?" he asked. Vaith shook her head again and continued looking downwards.

"No, it's not that," she said quietly, "I'm use to being around a lot of guys."

"Then why are you so uncomfortable?" he asked. Vaith didn't say anything, unsure of whether she should answer his question or not.

"Vaith?" She heaved a sad, heavy sigh, her gaze never once looking up.

"It's just that all of you are so close to one another," she said finally.

"Huh?" Rally was totally baffled; Vaith's answer just didn't make any sense to him.

"Seeing you guys so comfortable with each other makes me feel uneasy, I feel like I'm intruding," she said in a melancholy tone, "Seeing how all of you are so close reminds me that I'm an outsider and always have been. And because of that I try to make myself as inconspicuous as possible so as not to cause any kind of tension or friction." _Oh, I think I get it now_, thought Rally.

"When you say you've always been an outsider, do you mean that you've never had any friends?" Vaith nodded in response. _Now it makes sense. If she's never had any friends it's no wonder she tries to keep to herself._

"No wonder you don't deal very well with people," he commented, but suddenly his face split into a giant grin, "But I'll sill be your friend." Vaith looked at him and allowed a small, smile to grace her lips.

"That's sweet of you Rally, but I wouldn't know how to be a friend to someone," she said solemnly.

"Don't worry about that. You just need a little experience is all. Besides you strike me as the type who really needs a friend."

"That sounds like something Yusei said to me, just not in so many words," Vaith replied. The smile never once left Rally's face.

Later that afternoon Vaith still sat out on the platform talking to Rally. She had asked him about his life in the Satellite and he proceeded to tell his entire life story, in quite an animated fashion too.

"Look at those two. The way their going on you'd think they'd been friends for years," Nervin said. He, Tank, and Blitz all sat by the hideout watching Rally and Vaith.

"That's Rally, always ready to make a new friend," Tank added.

"I still don't understand how she keeps such a neutral expression on her face. Rally's probably told her every embarrassing story about us that he can think of. So why isn't she bursting into fits of hysterical laughter?" asked Blitz.

"Like I said before, she's like Yusei, not exactly the type who breaks into fits of hysterical laughter. Sometimes I wonder if he has a sense of humor," Tank said.

"You wonder if who has a sense of humor?" asked a familiar voice from behind them. The three of them turned to see Yusei getting off his runner. They froze in horror. _Speak of the devil_, they all thought.

"N-n-no one," Nervin stammered quickly. Yusei looked at them skeptically but let the subject drop.

"How long has Rally been talking to Vaith?" Yusei asked setting his helmet on the seat of his runner. The three were glad for the change of subject and relaxed a bit.

"Not sure exactly, but it's been at least a couple of hours," Nervin replied.

"What on earth could they be talking about for so long?" Blitz asked sounding rather annoyed.

"Relax Blitz. Rally just made a new friend so there's plenty to talk about," Tank said.

"Yeah, but by now he's probably told her every one of our embarrassing moments that have popped into his head," Blitz said in a despairing tone. Blitz, Tank, and Nervin all hung their heads in shame; contemplating the implications of having all their most embarrassing moments relayed to a girl they hardly knew. Yusei just shook his head. While Blitz, Tank, and Nervin were lost in their world of despair and gloom, Rally came over to them.

"Hey guys, what's with the gloomy faces?" he asked.

"You just told Vaith every one of our embarrassing stories," Blitz replied. Rally was surprised and a little offended by the accusation.

"No I didn't. She asked about growing up in the Satellite that's all," Rally protested, "Besides, there's something I think you guys should know."

"What's that Rally?" Yusei asked calmly turning his attention to Rally.

"I found out why she's avoiding us and why she's so uncomfortable," he really had their attention now. "It's because we're all friends," he said gesturing to the four plus himself. Yusei considered the thought for a moment and nodded. The other three just looked totally confused.

"That doesn't make any sense Rally," Blitz said.

"Sure it does. She feels uncomfortable because all of us are so close which leaves her on the outside looking in," Yusei explained in a neutral tone.

"And she's never had friends before," added Rally. The last part hit the older four like a sucker punch to the gut.

"Man, that's really got suck; going through life without any friends. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you guys," Tank commented.

"Yeah, I know what you mean Tank. I feel sorry for her," Nervin said sympathetically.

"You guys don't have to worry about that now because she has me," Rally said with that big, goofy grin. The older four boys were silent. For Yusei that wasn't unusual, for the other three, it was. Rally felt their stares. He stopped smiling and looked at his older friends. Before he knew what happened, Blitz had him in a head lock.

"Well aren't you a sneaky little fellow? Pretty clever tactics if you ask me. You make friends with her and then embarrass the hell out of the rest of us," he said giving Rally a noogie.

"Blitz, that isn't what he meant," said Yusei.

Blitz stopped giving Rally a noogie and said, "Oh. Hehe, sorry Rally," and let go of his head. Before an argument could ensue, which Rally was totally entitled to starting, Jack pulled up on his runner.

"Hey Jack," Rally greeted him. Jack nodded in reply before turning to Yusei.

"Yusei, there's something I need to talk to you about. You got a minute?" Jack asked business like as usual.

"What is it Jack?"

"Then we made it to Martha's in nothing but out underwear," Rally finished. He had completed the tale of how he, Blitz, Nervin, and Tank had saved Yusei's runner after Yusei had gotten hurt. It was a little past nightfall and Vaith was back inside on the couch. The story made her smile, but only a small smile. Jack was absolutely roaring with laughter, Crow was slapping his knees and laughing so hard he had the hiccups. Blister, who had returned from Martha's a couple hours after Jack, was laughing so hard his sides hurt. Yusei, working on his laptop, just smirked.

"They were…quite…a sight to…see," Blister managed to comment through his fits of laughter.

"Yeah, hic they were," Crow agreed. Blitz, Tank, and Nervin hung their heads. They just couldn't win, today just wasn't their day. The laughter continued for awhile but eventually died down; Crow still had the hiccups though. After the laughter subsided Jack was once again all business.

"Vaith," he said, "Since you're close to recovering we've been thinking…"

"Which hic is an improvement hic for Jack," interrupted Crow. Jack scowled in Crow's direction. He took a few steps back in order to have a head start provided that Jack decided to punch him.

"Anyway," Jack continued, "We think it would be a good idea to teach you how to defend yourself."

"By 'we' you mean…" Vaith said questioningly.

"Crow, Yusei, and I are going to teach you how to fight," Jack declared with finality.

**Teaching Vaith how to fight isn't going to go as Jack expects it to but more on that in chapter 5. Poor Tank, Nervin, and Blitz. I picked on them a lot in this chapter (I'm sorry). In the next chapter I think I'll single out Jack, that should be fun (Sorry Jack fans). So there you have it folks, chapter four. I hope you found it to your liking and what you've come to expect from me. It might be awhile before I post chapter five because I have summer homework to do (BLARG ON MY TEACHERS!) and chapter four left me a bit drained. Thank you to all of those who have reviewed previous chapters and continue to follow my story. You make me so happy ^^.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone, I'm back! I finally got over my writer's block after writing chapter four. Phew that one took a lot out of me. Anyway, this chapter is sort of a fluff chapter and also the point where things get a little fuzzy in how I want things to work. That means it could be sometime before chapter six is put up because I'm not sure how I want things to go yet. Suggestions are welcome, but I can't promise they will be used. Now that that is out of the way I would like to give you chapter five. Please enjoy!^^ And remember, I DO NOT own Yu-gi-oh 5D's, any of its characters, or anything affiliated with it. I just own Vaith and the story line. Now, on with the show!**

Ch. 5- Fights and Flight

"Jack, I don't think this is a good idea," Vaith said uncertainly. It had been a few weeks since Crow had found her in the tunnel; she had recovered quite nicely. Most of the bruises had faded though if anyone looked hard enough they would be able to see slight discoloration just above the collar of Vaith's shirt. She no longer labored to move about. That meant it was almost time for her to leave. But there was a problem, two problems actually. One, Jack thought it a good idea to give her lessons in self-defense. She would have to meet his standards before she was allowed to leave and Jack's standards were pretty high. Two, she'd actually gotten somewhat attached to everyone. They made her feel welcome and for the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged.

"Sure it is. Knowing how to defend your self will help prevent something like this from happening again. Besides, life is pretty tough in the Satellite," he countered. Everyone was assembled outside the hideout. Jack and Vaith stood on the platform, Yusei, Crow, Blister, Blitz, Tank, Nervin, and Rally all stood down on the tracks so as to stay out of the way. Jack had removed his trench coat and left it inside, so he stood before Vaith in his black sleeveless shirt, navy blue pants, and grey boots with his muscled arms on display for all the world to see. His muscles, straight posture, and the dignified way in which he carried himself would be enough to intimidate just about anyone. As would his Mark of the Dragon as for the fact it looked like a tattoo. But Vaith wore her signature neutral expression.

"First I'll see what you're capable of and go from there," Jack explained.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Vaith said.

"Relax. I'm not going to purposely hurt you." Jack stood about ten feet from the hideout and had his back to it. Vaith stood about fifteen feet in front of him. Jack took his stance, knees slightly bent and arms at the ready, and looked at Vaith. She just stood there. _She really doesn't know how to fight_, he thought.

"This doesn't seem exactly fair," Rally protested, "Jack's a lot bigger than Vaith. She could get seriously hurt."

"I'm with you on that Rally," Nervin replied then turned to Crow. "Crow why don't you fight her, you're closer to her size than Jack is."

"This was Jack's idea," he shrugged, "But yeah, I'm a little uneasy myself. They're about to start, Jack's taken his stance but Vaith hasn't moved. I don't like it."

"I'm not entirely comfortable with this either," Yusei added.

"He just better not do anything stupid," Rally said.

"Are you guys finished muttering yet?" Jack asked heatedly.

"Yup."

"Fine. Ready Vaith?" Vaith nodded, but still didn't take any kind of fighting stance. "Then here we go." Jack moved fast. He charged Vaith, aiming a fist at her head. She ducked it and rolled off to the left. He turned toward her and took aim with another punch. She ducked and rolled away again. He tried a third time but to no avail, she just dodged every attack he made. Jack tried kicks, punches, almost every maneuver he knew but she dodged everything. The fact that he couldn't land a single blow frustrated Jack but what frustrated him more was that Vaith never countered any of his assaults, never took a fighting stance. She just dodged his attacks and waited for the next one.

"She's good a dodging attacks," Blister observed, "But she won't get too far with only that."

"Yeah, if it's a one-on-one fight then it should work just fine until she can find a way to escape. But if she's completely surrounded it's not going to help much," Crow added.

"I think she's panicking," Rally noted, "She's dodging Jack's attacks but she's not countering them. Doesn't that normally happen when someone is desperate and looking for a way out of a fight?"

"Normally yes," Yusei replied.

"What do you mean 'normally'?" asked Blister.

"To put it simply, Vaith isn't panicking."

"How can you tell?"

"Her face."

"It looks the same as it always does," Rally said.

"Exactly. When people panic they start sweating. Vaith isn't sweating and her movements aren't quick and clumsy. She's completely focused." _What she's focusing on I have no idea_.

"Then why isn't she countering?" Crow asked. Yusei just shook his head. They tuned back into the fight just as Jack aimed another punch. Vaith easily dodged it and turned to face Jack. The speed of this attack surprised Vaith and she reacted purely on instinct. Keeping her eyes on Jack, in what looked like one smooth, swift, graceful motion she planted her right foot directly into Jack's broad chest. The momentum his charge had built up now worked against him, increasing the force of the impact and instantly winding him. The force behind Vaith's kick sent him flying backward a good ten feet. The others were completely awestruck. Not a single one of them had expected Jack to be sent flying. Yusei and Blister's eyes widened, Crow, Tank, Nervin, and Blitz stood there mouths agape, Rally's expression was somewhere between shock and trying not to laugh. Vaith ran over to Jack and knelt beside him.

"Jack, are you okay? Jack?" she asked, almost pleaded.

"I *cough* think so," he managed to say as he slowly sat up. "What the hell was that!" he spat angrily.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"Jack, give her a break. You wanted to see what she could do so you shouldn't be surprised by the fact that she attacked you," Yusei interrupted. Jack scowled then turned back to Vaith.

"If you are capable of pulling off a move like that, why did you only dodge my attacks?" he asked grumpily. He'd just been sent flying by a girl, a girl smaller than him no less. Crow was never going to let him live it down, just what he needed eternal humiliation.

"I was afraid I'd wind up hurting you," she replied meekly. Jack just looked at her.

"Well, let's try this again," he said getting to his feet. "But don't hold back this time." She nodded in response. They returned to their original positions and restarted the match. Jack aimed another punch at her. She slammed her arm sideways into Jack's to block the punch (think "wax on, wax off" from _The Karate _Kid) and without a moment's pause thrust her opposite fist into his gut. He stumbled back a bit, but regained his footing. _She hits pretty hard for a girl_, he thought as he aimed an uppercut at her torso but she sidestepped it. He aimed another punch at her shoulder. She shrank to the ground, balancing on the balls of her feet, and swung her leg in an arc. Jack's feet were separated from the platform and he was momentarily airborne. He collided with the ground with a brutal thump.

"Uggg," he groaned, "That really hurt."

"Obviously," Crow quipped, "It's sad Jack that she's mopping the floor with you." Jack scowled and got up off the floor.

"Alright why don't you try Crow?"

"Fine with me," he replied. Crow leaped onto the platform as Jack descended to the rails, taking his place next to Yusei.

"He hasn't got a prayer," Jack commented.

"No, I don't think he does," Yusei agreed, shaking his head. Crow took his stance and Vaith stood waiting.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I guess so," she replied. Crow charged and aimed a punch at her head with his right hand; she didn't even flinch. _No way she'll see this comin'. I'm the master of feints_, he thought. When he got closer he quickly dropped his right hand and brought up his left in what was supposed to be a surprise uppercut. _What?_ Vaith wasn't where she had been just a second ago and Crow hit only air. She had not only seen through Crow's maneuver, but easily dodged it as well. She swung an arm and caught Crow in the side. He stumbled sideways slightly winded. _Okay, that was just luck. No way can she do it again. But boy does she hit hard._ He caught his breath and straightened up. _Alright, this isn't as easy as I thought it would be. She's no pushover and Jack wasn't goin' easy on her, so no more messin' around._

He tried feint after feint after feint but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't score more than a glancing blow. _How does she do that? It's like she can read my mind!_

"He's trying too hard," Blitz remarked. "He keeps using all these complicated moves to trick her when he should just get back to the basics."

"Yeah, she's seen through every one of his attacks and some of them were pretty complicated. Crow should realize that she's not a novice and that his attacks simply aren't working," Blister added. "I wonder how she does it."

"Well when I sparred with her I noticed that she moved at the last minute. I also notice that I couldn't land a solid blow either. It was like she knew how I was going to move before I actually moved," Jack commented, "But her reflexes are a bit slow. That's why Crow and I were able to hit her, even though they were just glancing blows." Yusei listened to what his friends had said as he continued to watch Vaith and Crow fight, and Crow was doing no better than Jack. There was something strange about the way Vaith moved, but he couldn't quite figure out what. Just then Crow crashed to the ground; he had just tripped himself trying to pull off yet another complicated maneuver.

"Very graceful Crow," Jack mocked.

"Shut up Jack," he replied shakily getting to his feet; he'd hit the ground pretty hard. It took him a second to regain his footing, but then he charged again, aiming an uppercut at Vaith's stomach. Before the blow hit its mark Vaith blocked it with her arm. Then she swept her left foot sideways, under Crow's feet, sending him plummeting to the ground again.

"Arggghhh. Didn't see that comin'," he groaned.

"That much was obvious from the idiotic expression on your face," Jack said with a laugh.

"Can it Jack!" Crow got up and had an irritated expression on his face. Jack wore a look of pure satisfaction.

"Okay, it's not as easy as it looks and you're not a wuss," Crow conceded. He then turned to Vaith. "You're a lot better than you let on Vaith. Why were you so unsure of this earlier?"

"I was afraid I would hurt you guys," she replied sheepishly.

"You don't have to worry about that," Crow said with a laugh, "We may look like a bunch of soft, handsome young men, but actually tougher than nails." The others rolled their eyes.

"Anyway," Rally interrupted, "It's Yusei's turn."

"Alright," he replied in his normal nonchalant manner. He removed his gloves and his jacket and placed them on his runner. He then took his place in front of Vaith. His arm muscles showed, but didn't bulge anywhere near as much as Jack's did. The 'muscled but slim' look really worked for him. The color of his Mark of the Dragon's Head fit nicely with his slightly tanned skin.

"When you two are finished we're going to work on you reflexes Vaith. They're a bit slow," Jack said. A slight smirk spread across Yusei's face, as if he knew something Jack didn't.

_Vaith is more of a defensive fighter, one who waits for her opponent to make the first move and doesn't strike until there's a clear opening. She mostly uses her legs to attack so I just have to stay out of her reach._

"Ready?" Yusei asked. Vaith nodded in response. Yusei took his stance, knees slightly bent, body turned slightly sideways, and arms held up in front of his body. Vaith stood waiting.

"Go," Rally called. No sooner had Rally said 'Go', Vaith charged. Yusei was caught completely off guard. He recovered and blocked the kick she had aimed at his head with his arm, but just barely.

"Wow, didn't see that comin'," Crow said in astonishment, "I thought we would have a waiting game on our hands, but I guess Vaith had other ideas."

"Yusei actually managed to block her attack," Rally said incredulously. "You and Jack couldn't block a single blow, but Yusei just stopped a full on attack!"

"I think this is going to be on hell of a sparring match," Blister added. And indeed it was. Vaith and Yusei went back and forth, blow for blow with so much intensity one would think that it was a professional fighters championship match. Yusei had landed a kick to Vaith's shoulder and a blow to her side. In return Vaith had landed several direct punches to his chest and torso, and a few kicks to his sides.

_She turned her entire fighting style around. She's now fighting at a closer range where I can't use my feet to attack_, Yusei thought as he and Vaith were locked in a frenzy of punches and blocking.

"Yeesh, I thought Yusei's matches with Jack were intense," Nervin said in amazement.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Both of them are extremely focused and they're pretty evenly matched. It's anyone's game," Tank added. Vaith moved a half step away from Yusei and threw a punch toward his head. Yusei moved his arm to block it, but faster than his eyes could follow Vaith unclenched her fist and rotated her hand so that it passed underneath his arm. Her palm, fingers pointing toward the platform, slammed Yusei full force in the chest, knocking him backwards and to the ground.

"Umph," he groaned as he hit the ground. Vaith ran over and knelt down beside him.

"You alright?" she asked in a quite voice.

"Yeah," he replied sitting up, "Just knocked for a bit of a loop."

"Sorry."

"Don't be, I'm alright." He paused for a moment then continued, "Besides, I think that was the winning blow."

"Yeah you're pretty good," Crow said.

"But you still have a lot to learn," Jack added in that signature all business tone of his. So then the first lesson began.

* * *

The lessons lasted a little less than a week and a half. Everyday Jack, Crow, and Yusei would spar with Vaith to check her progress and to teach her how to handle different situations. At the end of each training session Jack and Crow would be tired and covered in sweat. Yusei and Vaith would be sweaty, but not as much as Crow and Jack, and a lot less tired, seems like they were in better shape.

"I don't think there's anymore we can teach you," Jack admitted rather sourly. "You picked up on everything so quickly." Night had fallen about an hour ago in the Satellite and everyone was inside the hideout.

"If I didn't know better," Crow began, "I'd think you were complaining Jack." Jack shot him a threatening look. "But I know better," he added quickly. The others laughed at their antics.

"Hey Yusei how long until the bridge is finished?" Rally asked.

"Bridge?" Vaith asked.

"The bridge connecting the city and the Satellite. Yusei said he'd fight the Dark Signers only if Goodwin promised to build a bridge between the city and the Satellite," Rally replied excitedly.

"It'll be at least six to eight months before the bridge is finished Rally," Yusei replied. Rally sighed.

"I don't want to wait that long," he said.

"You're going to have to," Nervin replied. "You can't build a bridge overnight you know."

"Not a good one anyway," Blister added, "And you don't want a shoddy bridge connecting the Satellite and the city do you Rally?"

"No."

"I didn't think so." With that Blister let out a huge yawn. "If you'll excuse me I think I'll turn in for the night, good night everyone." As he made his way to bed, he tipped his hat to Vaith. The beds were in the back of the hideout and it got a little crowded but the guys had learned to cope.

"Yeah, I think turning in is a good idea," Tank replied, failing to suppress a yawn.

"Umhm, I'm with you," Nervin agreed. The two of them followed Blister to the back to settle down for the night. One by one they guys made their way to bed (Rally didn't want to, but he was nearly asleep anyway so Blitz carried him to bed) until Yusei and Vaith were the only two still awake. It was almost midnight and Yusei was still working on his runner. Vaith just watched him. Vaith still slept on the couch so she didn't have to go anywhere, it was just a matter of when she fell asleep.

Around two in the morning Yusei finally decided to turn in, he'd worked on his runner enough for one day. He bid Vaith good night and went to the back with the others. Vaith heard rustling as Yusei settled in and as the others moved about in their sleep. It was a comforting sound, letting her know she wasn't alone and that she could sleep peacefully but she wasn't in the least bit tired. She sat up and pulled her bag from its place at the edge of the couch to her feet. She opened it and pulled out a pad of paper. It was time to use the mental snapshots she had stored away.

* * *

It was about five in the morning, the sun just beginning to come up over the horizon. In the darkness just before down a figure stood a mere fifty feet away from the hideout simply watching. They stood so still they could have been mistaken for a statue or as part of the shadows themselves. They stood there watching for some time, never moving. It was only when the sun began to shine through the jagged crack in the street above the figure decided it was time to leave and they disappeared silently into the shadows of the tunnel.

* * *

Rally turned over in his bed. He could see the sunlight coming into the tunnel and decided it was time to get up. He rolled out of bed and quietly made his way to the front of the hideout. Immediately something didn't feel right. Something felt off, almost eerie. He was still half asleep but it suddenly hit him and the realization shocked him into full wakefulness. He ran back to the others shouting.

"Guys wake up! Wake up guys! She's gone!"

**Cliffhanger! Sorry, I have a thing for dramatic endings and this seemed like a good place to stop. (And I finished this chapter just before I ran out of pages in one section of my notebook so it seemed fitting). I hope you liked it. As always, read, review, and show that you care. I'd really appreciate it if I got some feedback on the style of the story. Is it too simple, too many big words, too little childish, that type of thing. Thank you for taking the time to read this even if you don't review. So farewell until next time.**

**~Moonlight**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again. I am soooooo sorry that I've been away for so long. I had summer assignments to do for school, not to mention the fact that I had writer's block. I've been working on my assignments pretty steadily for the past few weeks and still not all the way finished. Blarg on my teachers for giving me assignments with a gagillion and a half parts to them! Sorry about the angry outburst, hehe. Anyway, here is chapter six. This one is pretty long. I think it's the longest one of written, don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure. When I typed it it came out to like eleven pages. And I typed it in size twelve Times New Roman single spaced. I know the past couple of chapters have kind of been filler, and this one kinda is too, but I will get back to the plot. The beginning of that is at the end of this chapter. There's quite a bit of talking in this chapter, and I think I made Yusei a tad OOC because I had him talk a lot in the middle or so. There's also quite a bit of blood towards the end, so if you're extremely squeamish I would take caution. Ok, enough of my rambling. On with the show!**

Ch. 6- Down to Business

"Come on guys get up!" The older boys stirred, but were not happy to up so early in the morning.

"Rally, why are you raising such a ruckus so early in the morning?" Blitz asked, irritated that he'd been awakened from his sleep.

"Shesgoneshesgoneshesgone," he shouted.

"Rally slow down," Blister said. Rally took a deep breath and exhaled. "Better. Now what's the problem?"

"She's gone," he repeated. Blister, Nervin, Tank, and Blitz's eyes widened and they dashed to the front of the hideout. They all looked frantically about for any sign of Vaith, hoping Rally was mistaken. But there was nothing; not a thing to suggest she had ever been there to begin with.

"The little guy's right, she's gone. She must've left while we were all asleep," Blister concluded. Rally stared at the ground, depressed. Yusei came to the front putting on his jacket, followed by Jack who attempted to stifle a yawn.

"She's gone," Rally repeated turning to Yusei.

"She said she was going to stay only until her injuries healed," he replied in a neutral tone. Jack was the only one who knew that Vaith's departure affected Yusei more than he was letting on. It was in that tone he used; it sounded lifeless, flat.

"She could have a least said goodbye." _He's taking this pretty hard_ Yusei thought.

"The little guy's got a point. She could have waited until we got up," said Blitz. Yusei sighed.

_I can't believe that in the few short weeks she was here that we all became so attached to her_, Yusei thought. He sat down at his computer and started running a diagnostic on his runner. Rally, Tank, and Nervin sat on the couch. Blister, Blitz, and Jack leaned against the wall. A heavy silence filled the room broken only by Yusei's incessant typing. All of them were depressed that Vaith had left, even Jack, though he would never openly admit it. Rally's gaze drifted around the hideout not really seeing anything until his gaze wandered to the doorway.

"Guys, what's that?" he asked looking toward the doorway.

"What's what?" Jack asked looking up.

"That." Rally pointed to the upper part of the doorway. The others looked in the direction he pointed. There, tacked to the doorway was a white rectangle no bigger than an index card.

"I'm not sure," replied Blister. Yusei, being the closest to the doorway, got up and removed the tack from the white rectangle.

"It's a folded piece of paper," he said plainly. He walked over to the others, who then crowded around him to see what it was.

"That's not ordinary paper," remarked Blister.

"How can you tell?" asked Rally.

"Because it's thicker than regular paper and it has no lines on it. If I had to guess, I'd say it came from a sketch pad." The others weren't really interested in what kind of paper it was, they just wanted to know why it was tacked above the doorway. Yusei slowly unfolded the paper and studied it for a few seconds.

"It's a note," Yusei finally said, "to all of us."

"From who?" asked Rally.

"Vaith." Their eyes widened in surprise.

"What's it say?" asked Jack.

"Four words: 'Thank you. For everything'" It was as if someone had let the air out of a balloon. Everyone was disappointed at the scant message Vaith had left, Rally most of all. Yusei studied the note more closely than before. The words were written in black ink and neat, looping handwriting; her name was almost a work of art. But what caught his eye was not the care put into the little note; it was the wrinkles in the thick paper and a small spot where the ink had smeared. It looked like small drops of water had fallen and dried on the page, one of them slightly smearing the 'h' in Vaith's name.

_She didn't want to leave_, Yusei realized. He moved his hand to show the others when the edge of another piece of paper slipped from underneath the note.

"There's more?" asked Tank.

"Looks like it," replied Yusei as he unfolded the second sheet of paper. Everyone leaned closer; eager to see what else Vaith had left them. They all wanted an explanation for why she had left. Unfortunately, they were not given answers to their questions. But they all gaped at what Yusei now held in his gloved hands. It was a drawing, a drawing of all of them. In the center of the page Jack had Yusei in a headlock and was in the process of giving him a noogie. Yusei had one eye open and was trying to get Jack to release his head. Crow, Nervin, and Blitz stood to the right of Yusei and Jack; Tank, Rally, and Blister were off to their left. They were all in the hideout; Jack and Yusei in front of the couch, the others leaning up against either wall. They all wore the same expression; they were all smiling and laughing, one big happy group of friends. They were all in awe of the skill and precision of the drawing. The colors were expertly blended, not one shadow was out of place or exaggerated. It really was a work of art.

"Wow," Rally said breaking the silence, "She's really good. But why did she leave us a note and a drawing?"

"I think this is her way of saying goodbye," replied Yusei.

"Let's hang it up over the door," Rally said excitedly. The older boys all raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why should we hang it up over the door?" Jack asked flatly.

"That way, when all of us are hanging out in here, we can all see it and remember Vaith." Yusei smiled slightly at Rally's stroke of wisdom, and went over and tacked the drawing above the doorway. The others were dumbfounded at Rally's way of thinking. Yusei was definitely starting to rub off on him.

* * *

"Well, is anything wrong?" asked Jack. It had been about a week since Vaith left and things had gone back to how they were before. But her absence always hung over their heads; it felt like some vital part of their group was missing.

"No Jack it's fine," replied Yusei. He had just run a diagnostic of Jack's runner, at Jack's request of course. Jack felt it was time his runner got a tune up or least some routine maintenance. But he had no knowledge of how a duel runner was put together or how it worked, so, now he and Yusei were outside the hideout going over his runner.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with it?" he asked again. Duel monsters was his life and he didn't know what he'd do if something was seriously wrong with his runner.

"Yes Jack. I ran the diagnostic seven times and each time the result was exactly the same. There's nothing wrong with your runner, it just needs routine maintenance." Yusei sat down in front of his computer and showed Jack the results of the diagnostic. Jack looked at the screen. It showed a blueprint like picture of his runner and a few sections highlighted in orange. There was not much else Jack could understand.

"And what do you mean by 'routine maintenance'?"

"Well, your engine needs a tune up as do the thrusters. The gyroscope in the holographic projector needs to be recalibrated…" he ticked off a few more things but Jack had stopped listening. Yusei had lost him when he said a gyro-thingy needed to be re-something-or-other.

"I thought you said there was nothing wrong with it?" Jack asked scowling. If what Yusei said was true, whatever he had said, then it sounded like there was something seriously wrong with his runner.

"There isn't, at least not yet. If those things that I mentioned are not taken care of then you could have a disastrous situation on your hands."

"What do you mean by 'disastrous situation'?"

"Engine failure, hologram projector failure, combustion of the engine, thruster malfunction, in other words, things you really don't want to happen." Jack's face went pale.

"Well then Jack, it's a good thing that Yusei's around. Otherwise you would be up the creek without a paddle because your knowledge of mechanics barely fills a teacup," Crow called stepping off his runner.

"Shut the hell up Crow," Jack growled. He really wasn't in the mood for Crow's snide remarks.

"What? It's the truth isn't it?" he replied.

"That doesn't mean you have to point it out."

"Knock it off you two. You're not seven years old anymore," Yusei sighed. He really didn't feel like playing peacekeeper today.

"Can you fix it Yusei?" Jack asked turning from Crow.

"It'll take some time, but yeah I can fix it."

"How long?" Jack wasn't sure for how long he could go without his runner.

"I can have it up and running like new in about six hours." Jack's face dropped, he almost looked depressed.

"I'm sorry Jack, but that's the soonest I can have everything finished and your runner in top working order." Yusei knew Jack had a strong disliking for anything that wasn't the best. The feeling had mellowed some since his loss at the Fortune Cup, but not when it came to his duel runner. Jack sighed, knowing it would be better to get everything tuned up now before the problems progressed into something far more terrible.

"It's fine. Thanks Yusei," he finally replied. Yusei nodded.

"Don't mention it."

"Well since Yusei's going to be pretty busy, how 'bout a duel Jack?" Crow asked in an attempt to cheer Jack up. The two of them may bicker a lot, but Crow knew exactly how Jack was feeling about his runner.

"Fine," Jack said reverting back to his old self at the mention of a duel, "But I hope you brought a box of tissues."

"Tissues? Why would I need those?" Crow asked taking his position on the platform. Jack retrieved his duel disk and took his position opposite Crow.

"Because I'm going to make you cry."

"Fat chance!" They both drew their first hands.

"Duel!"

* * *

"There, I'm finished," Yusei said to Jack. "It should be fine now and for quite a while."

"Thanks Yusei."

"Like I said, don't mention it." Yusei wiped the grease off of his hands, the only sign that he spent almost six hours laboring over Jack's runner.

"How can you work on a runner for six hours straight and not get bored?" Blister asked in amazement. He, Tank, Nervin, Blitz, and Rally had gone grocery shopping that afternoon and returned to find that Yusei had removed his gloves and jacket and started tinkering away on Jack's runner, lost to the world of machine maintenance and loud rock music. They had asked what was wrong with Jack's runner and Crow filled them in.

"Because that's just the kind of thing Yusei likes to do," Blitz replied with a shrug.

"When we were kids he would take apart any appliance he could get his hands on, much to Martha's displeasure, just to see how it worked," Jack said trying to suppress a smirk; he failed.

"And you could always tell when he'd done it," Crow added. It was just after dark and everyone was in the hideout. Crow and Jack sat on the couch; Blitz, Tank, Nervin, Blister were leaning up against either wall; Rally sat on the floor in the middle of the room; Yusei sat at his laptop.

"How's that?" Blister asked curiously.

"By the way Martha screamed," Yusei replied plainly and without looking away from his computer.

"She would scream Yusei's name in such a way that you knew it would be a good idea to duck for cover," Crow said, his classic goofy grin plastered to his face. The others started laughing. Blister cracked a smile but Yusei's face retained is calm, collected appearance.

"How did Martha respond to Yusei's explorations on her appliances?" he asked, rather amused.

"Well, if I remember correctly, she'd give him an earful then send him to his room," Jack said smirking.

"That only happened once," Yusei said, still not looking away from whatever he was doing on his laptop.

"Oh? I recall her freaking out on you on at least four separate occasions," Jack said, amused that a story from the time Yusei wasn't the way he was now was coming to light.

"She did," he replied, "But she only sent me to my room once, and that was the first time I did it." He finally turned to face the others, his face betraying nothing.

"What did you take apart?" Rally asked, genuinely curious as to what Yusei had done to incur the usually gentle Martha's wrath. Yusei thought for a minute.

"The microwave," he said. Jack and Crow smirked at the memory; the others looked at Yusei in surprised.

"How old were you?" Blister asked.

"Eight." They looked at Yusei as if he had just told them that he wasn't human, which, in a way, is debatable. Jack and Crow couldn't suppress their laughter.

"You took apart a microwave at eight?" Blister asked, clearly in disbelief.

"Yup, and Martha was ready to skin 'im. You see, Jack and I had been hanging around the swing set when we heard Martha scream. We hadn't the slightest clue what was going on, but it sounded to us like Yusei was in _big_ trouble. So we did what any kid our age would do," Crow said.

"We investigated," Jack finished. "We heard Martha screaming like a mad women and the only part we understood was that Yusei was in some serious shit and had been sent to his room. When we got to the back of the house we saw the microwave spread out on the lawn like a jigsaw puzzle."

"We had no idea what we were looking at of course. To us the parts of the microwave looked like pieces of junk spread across the lawn," Crow cut in, "But what really had our attention was Martha. She was mumbling about how she was going to punish Yusei; she was going to put him on bathroom duty for a month, he wouldn't be allowed outside for a few weeks, and she was going to take away his cards indefinitely. We didn't know what he had done to make Martha so angry; Yusei was usually a quiet, good kid, so hearing his sentence was rather disturbing. We didn't want to even imagine what _our_ sentences would be if _we _ever made Martha that angry." The others paled at the harsh punishment Yusei had been dealt as a child by the usually caring Martha.

"Disturbed by Martha's uncharacteristic harshness as we were, we were glad we wouldn't have to be on bathroom duty for the next month. We thought Yusei had gotten himself into a mess that we thought even _he_ couldn't get out of," Jack continued. His expression then soured, Crow's face mimicked Jack's. "But Yusei, being who he is, got himself out of trouble."

"Yeah, usually Jack and I were the ones getting in trouble and being punished so we thought it would be a nice change for Yusei to have his turn. We thought we were free for a month but as per usual, when it comes to Yusei you have to wait 'til the final card is played," Crow moped.

"How on earth did you get out of _that_ mess?" asked Rally. "Once Martha's on a roll there's no stopping her." Yusei closed his eyes, remembering how it happened.

"He got out of it by being a smooth talker," Jack grumbled. "He somehow convinced Martha not to punish him and the next day the microwave was replaced by one that looked exactly like the one Yusei dismantled." Yusei opened his eyes and looked at Jack, an eyebrow raised.

"You think I _talked _my way out of that?"

"Yeah, how else would you get out of the grounding of a lifetime? You always were the only one who could sweet talk Martha and get out of being punished." Yusei stared at Jack for a moment or two, shocked that Jack thought he had talked his way out of, as Jack called it, the grounding of a lifetime.

"Umhm, Yusei definitely had a silver tongue and probably still does," added Crow. The others just watched the exchange. They wanted to hear Yusei's story of how he got out of the grounding of a lifetime. His reaction to Jack's accusation made them think there was more to the story. Yusei sighed.

"I hate to disappoint you Jack, Crow, but I didn't talk my way out of that. Martha wouldn't even let me get a word in edgewise so I couldn't talk my way out of it."

"Then how the hell did you get out of it?" Jack asked, clearly upset. He never took it well when someone told him he was wrong.

"I rebuilt the microwave." He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Now everyone's eyes were trained on him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Martha brought all the pieces back inside and put them on the dining room table. After everyone else went to bed, I sneaked down stairs and put it back together. I replaced a few of the parts that were rusted and worn out. When I was finished I went back upstairs to my room." His friends were really stunned now. Jack however didn't buy it.

"Just how did that get you out of being grounded? How would Martha know that someone else didn't fix it or get one that looked exactly like it?" he challenged. Yusei was unfazed which reinforced Jack's belief that Yusei had sweet talked his way out of punishment.

"Simple, Martha watched me do it. When she sent me to my room I tried to tell her I could fix it, but she didn't want to hear it. When I went downstairs I thought everyone had gone to bed, but Martha was sitting at the dining room table staring at the microwave pieces. She saw me before I could sneak back upstairs and asked me what on earth I thought I was doing out of my room. I told her I was going to fix the microwave."

"How did she react to that?" Crow asked eager to hear the story as everyone else. Jack would never admit it, but he was too.

"She laughed at me and told me to go back to my room; she'd have someone fix it in the morning."

"So you fixed it after she went to bed?" Nervin asked.

"No, I took the seat across the table from her and started working on it. She wasn't thrilled that I didn't listen to her. She said she called my name a few times, but I never heard her; I was too focused on putting the microwave back together. She eventually realized that either I couldn't hear her or I was ignoring her and that I was serious about fixing the microwave." Yusei paused for a minute before he continued.

"It took me almost two hours but I finally put it back together. Martha was doubtful it would work but was grateful and impressed none the less, and told me so. I nodded to her to acknowledge the fact that I hear her, and then I carried the microwave back to the kitchen and plugged it in. I got a glass from the cabinet, filled it with milk from the fridge and then put it in the microwave. Martha was curiously watching what I was up to and nearly fainted when the microwave heated up the glass of milk."

"You actually fixed it?" asked Jack.

"Umhm."

"Well, it did work better the next day, it didn't heat things unevenly after that," Crow speculated.

"Since I fixed it and made it work better than it did before, Martha let me off the hook."

"What did you do with the glass of milk after you proved the microwaved still worked?" Blister asked. Yusei raised an eyebrow at him, clearly asking him what he thought he did with the milk.

"I drank it," he replied. "I was thirsty after tinkering with it for two hours. It was when I was drinking the milk that Martha nearly fainted. I hadn't intended to test whether or not it stilled worked. I just wanted a glass of warm milk before I went back to my room." The others were staring at him, most in disbelief, Jack in shock, Crow and Rally in awe.

"I knew you were smart, but you actually dismantled than reassembled an entire microwave at eight years old? You're somethin' else Yusei," remarked Blister with a chuckle.

"Ya got that right," replied Crow. The group of friends proceeded to share other stories of harsh punishments, lessons learned, and near misses. Crow was the main contributor, considering he couldn't stay out of trouble if his life depended on it, it wasn't much of a surprise. The others added their stories too. Yusei mostly listened, adding details that were conveniently forgotten or misremembered.

"Then Jack chased me around the house for almost an hour," Crow said laughing.

"Of course I did. You'd just gotten one of my favorite cards wet," Jack replied. Everyone started laughing at the thought of a young Jack and Crow playing a game of cat and mouse.

"I hate to break up such a happy moment," called an unfamiliar voice from the direction of the platform, "But we have some business with you." Yusei and company turned toward the voice of their uninvited visitor. Yusei, Jack and Crow were all on their feet. On the platform stood four boys, each around seventeen or eighteen years old, but the rest of their features were obscured by the contrast of the dim lighting outside, and the bright lighting inside the hideout.

"Who are you and what business do you have with us?" Jack asked in a commanding tone. _I don't like the looks of these guys one bit_, he thought. The group stood about fifty feet away from the hideout, putting them in the dim light of one of the tunnel lamps. Besides their silhouettes, the only features of the boys that Yusei and the others could see were a red phoenix emblazoned on the front of the boys' shirts and tattoos in the shape of wings on their right arms.

"Who we are is not important to you right now. But it will be if you don't cooperate with us," one of them replied in a threatening tone. It was the same one who had spoken before, apparently the leader. "Now come out here and talk to us."

"I don't like this one bit," Crow whispered to Jack.

"Neither do I." Yusei beckoned Blister over to him.

"What is it?"

"You and the others take cover. I have a bad feeling about this," he whispered. Blister nodded then motioned for Rally and the others to take cover in the back of the hideout, Jack and Crow stayed with Yusei. Yusei looked at them and a silent agreement passed between them; for better or worse Jack and Crow were going with Yusei. The three of them walked out on to the platform and stopped about fifteen feet away from their guests. Yusei was in the middle, Jack to his right and Crow to his left.

"You decided to cooperate," the leader said with a sneer, "Good choice." Now that they were closer and their sight unobstructed by changes in light intensity, Yusei, Jack, and Crow could see that the leader of the little group was rather muscular, had short blond hair, and cruel brown eyes. He and his followers wore black sleeveless shirts with the phoenix on the front, and worn-out blue jeans. Several scars were visible on the leaders exposed arms.

"What business do you have with us?" Jack asked again folding his arms across his chest.

"Simple," the blond said, "You tell us where she is and we leave you alone. Otherwise you pay the penalty."

"Tell you where who is?" Yusei asked narrowing his eyes. _What is with these guys? Who are they talking about?_ The leader of the goon squad scowled menacingly.

"Don't play dumb. Tell us where the girl is or you're going to regret it." His tone was threatening, leaving little doubt that he would make good on his threat. He was also clearly losing his patience.

"What girl?" Crow asked, "There's no girl here. It's just us." _Why do they think we know who they're talking about?_ The blonde's face turned an angry read and contorted into a sinister expression.

"Stop playing around and tell us where she is. This is your last warning."

"If we knew who you were talking about we might," Crow retorted. That was the dumbest thing Crow could have said. The blond gave some kind of signal and the intruders attacked. One of them aimed a punch at Crow's head. Crow blocked then roundhouse kicked the kid in the head. He went sprawling backwards and collided with the platform. Crow turned and saw Yusei engaged with the leader and Jack getting double teamed. Crow blindsided one of the boys assailing Jack and sent him skidding across the ground. The other one turned to see what had happened to his companion when Jack landed a kick on the kids shoulder throwing him sideways. Jack looked at Crow and nodded, acknowledging his help. There was no time for chitchat as the three underlings came back for round two.

As Jack and Crow took care of the three underlings, Yusei was duking it out with their leader. Yusei was faster and a better fighter then the blond kid, but the blond kid was seriously angry. He relentlessly assailed Yusei with blow after blow. Yusei blocked them all, but was unable to drive the kid away. Finally Yusei saw an opening. The kid had just aimed a punch at his head, leaving his torso wide open. Yusei ducked the punch and slammed his foot into the kid's side. The kid went flying sideways, slamming his shoulder into the hard surface of the platform. Score one for Yusei, zero for blondie.

The boys lacked any real fighting ability. Their attacks were uncoordinated and far too simple. That put them at a disadvantage. For Yusei, Jack, and Crow working together in a fight was nothing; they had grown up together and knew each other's moves. They covered each other's blind spots and broke up any sneak attacks. They landed blow after blow on the intruders' arms, legs, and torsos, leaving them pretty beaten up. In contrast the intruders had hardly landed a blow on the trio. But they were far from giving up.

"Just tell us where she is," the leader demanded again.

"We don't know who you're talking about," Crow replied taking on two of the underlings at once. The leader was about thirty feet off to Jack's left and struggling to his feet. Yusei was helping Crow with the two underlings while the other lackey was being taken care of by Jack. Crow returned his attention to the kid in front of him. He was small, short for his age, and a lightweight. His hair and eyes were a chestnut color. He aimed a kick at Crow's knees, but his attack was blocked. Crow then punched the kid in the stomach. Winded, he fell to the ground. Crow then turned to see how Yusei was doing. When he had looked, Yusei had just kicked the kid's feet out from under him. He was about to congratulate Yusei on move well executed when he saw the troop leader charging at Jack. Jack was still tied up with fighting lackey number three and therefore didn't see head lackey coming at him. Yusei immediately began to move to help Jack.

"Jack, look out!" Crow cried. Jack knocked the lackey backwards and turned to his left. He saw the leader coming up on him fast but then Yusei rushed by him. Yusei met him half way and aimed a punch at his shoulder. He hit his mark and sent the intruder backwards. He regained his balance then aimed a kick at Yusei. Yusei blocked it with his left arm then punched him with his right. Jack and Crow had to turn away from Yusei's brawl with the lead goon because his goonies were back on their feet. They were fed up with these jerks and let them really have it. In no time at all the three lackeys were sprawled out on the platform. Jack saw their leader running away down the platform. The three lackeys followed suit.

"Well that went well," Crow remarked sarcastically as he watched the four boys escape.

"I'll say," Jack replied. The two turned back toward their hideout but stopped dead in their tracks. Yusei lay sprawled face down on the platform. He wasn't moving.

"Yusei!" Jack and Crow cried in unison. They rushed over to him and knelt on either side of him. Crow gently shook Yusei's shoulder.

"Come on Yusei, talk to us," he pleaded. Yusei didn't answer. It was then that Crow started to panic; and it showed on his face. He turned green then went pale.

"Crow he's breathing," Jack said noting Yusei's shallow breathing.

"Let's turn him over."

"Right." They carefully flipped Yusei on to his back. To say they were met by an unpleasant sight would be a severe understatement. What they saw was simply horrifying. Blood was spewing from a wound on the right side of Yusei's torso, and a grisly gash on his left shoulder. What made it more horrifying was that Yusei was already drenched in his own blood.

"Holy shit!"

"Let's get him inside," Jack said. He and Crow each put one of Yusei's arms around their necks, lifted him up and carried him inside. They laid him on the couch and immediately began to tend to his wounds. The others came from the back to see why Crow had shouted. They were stunned by what they saw.

Crow knelt down next the couch and quickly removed Yusei's jacket and gloves, tossing them aside. He then tried to stem the bleeding with a rag. Yusei's breathing was still shallow which did nothing to curb Crow's or anyone else's raising panic. He placed the rag on Yusei's shoulder and applied pressure. Yusei flinched but didn't cry out. After a moment or two the wound on his shoulder stopped bleeding. Crow found another rag and moved on to the deep gash in Yusei's torso. A heavy silence hung in the air. They all stood off to the side watching Crow work frantically to save Yusei, afraid that it would all be for naught. The heavy silence was punctured by a load groan as Crow tried to staunch the bleeding from Yusei's torso. He tried repeatedly but the thick crimson would not stop flowing. It gushed everywhere and showed no sign of slowing any time soon.

"Dammit," he swore.

"Maybe we should take him to Martha's," Rally squeaked.

"He'd never make it," Crow said, frustrated, "Not in the condition he's in." Suddenly they all heard footsteps outside the doorway.

"Hey, are guys alright?" The voice was so familiar that none of them could mistake it. They all turned toward the doorway.

"Vaith!" they all cried. In the doorway stood Vaith, a concerned look on her face, but still the same shy, quiet demeanor. She noticed the worry and horror etched into all their faces.

"What happened?" she asked, her concern clearly showing on her face and in her tone. None of them said a word they just all turned their heads back to Crow kneeling by the couch. He was still trying to stop the bleeding. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Yusei lying on the couch covered in blood. She walked over and knelt down next to Crow.

"How long has he been bleeding?" Her voice was unusually come given the situation, but it had an urgency to it; like the voice of a 911 dispatcher.

"A few minutes," Crow responded no longer trying to conceal his panic. "I stopped the wound on his shoulder from bleeding and I've tried everything to get this one to stop bleeding but nothing's working." Crow was on the edge of breaking down and the feeling seemed to spread throughout the room. Vaith removed her bag and placed it on the floor, then turned to Crow.

"You did what you could now let me handle this," she said in that same tone. She seemed a completely different person. Instead of being shy she was confident and focused, like she had seen many scenes like this. Crow nodded and moved out of her way and over to the others. She slid Yusei's shirt up enough to where she could see the wound, had it not been obscured by the blood. The others couldn't see what she was doing as she leaned over Yusei's body. His face had gone pale; his breathing had become ragged and shallower. He groaned a few times as Vaith went about whatever she was doing. A few minutes later she moved away from Yusei and pulled a medium sized box out of her bag. From the box she took a hand towel and a bottle of water. She poured some of the water on the towel and began wiping away the blood. The others had been watching her intently; hoping she would be able to help Yusei.

"Is he going to live?" Rally asked meekly. It was the question on all of their minds, but they hadn't asked because they were afraid of what the answer might be.

"Yes, he'll live," Vaith replied. They all let out a sigh of relief. "Though he's lost almost a pint and a half of blood," she continued, "I managed to stop the bleeding, but he'll be a bit woozy when he wakes up." She finished cleaning the blood off of Yusei and then wiped off her hands. She pulled his shirt back down and gathered up his bloodied jacket and gloves.

"I'm going to try and clean these," she said, "Let me know if he wakes up." They all nodded and she left the hideout.

* * *

He heard voices and saw light through his eyelids. The voices were close by, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Slowly, Yusei opened his eyes and found he was staring at the ceiling of the hideout. He blinked a few times and tried to remember what had happened before he blacked out. The effort made his head throb; a groan issued from his slightly parted lips.

"Hey guys, he's up," a familiar voice shouted. But Yusei was still too disoriented to know who it belonged to. The next thing he saw was Crow's face hanging over him from the back of the couch; kind of hard to mistake that face, even if you are disoriented.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like I was just hit by a truck," Yusei replied weakly. He pushed himself into a sitting position, but immediately wished he hadn't. His head immediately started throbbing mercilessly and he felt dizzy. He groaned again. He brought up a knee and rested his head on it.

"What happened?" he asked weakly.

"The leader of the goon squad stabbed you on the right side of your torso and cut a nasty gash into your left shoulder," Crow replied. Yusei lifted his head slowly and looked about the hideout. Crow was standing behind the couch; the others were sitting against the walls.

"I was stabbed?"

"Yeah, Crow and I found you lying face down on the ground. Crow tried to shake you but you didn't respond. We turned you over and found that you'd been stabbed and were drenched in your own blood," Jack explained. "We brought you back here and Crow tried to stop the bleeding. By that point he was panicking and only managed to stop the bleeding in your shoulder. Your torso just wouldn't stop bleeding." _Great,_ Yusei thought,_ that makes the second time in about a month or so that I've nearly died._

"Then Vaith showed up and took care of it," Nervin added. "She said you lost almost a pint and a half of blood, so no wonder you feel like you were hit by a truck." Yusei's eyes widened.

"Vaith was here?" he asked. It may have been wasted on the others, but Jack noticed that Yusei's eyes lit up at the mention of Vaith's name. There was something in his voice, too, the suggested he was eager to see her.

"Yeah, she's still here actually. She just went to try and clean off your jacket and gloves, they were covered in a lot of blood." Now that Yusei thought about it, since the moment he woke up he hadn't felt any pain in his side or his shoulder. Now that Nervin had said Vaith had been there it made sense. He slid his shirt aside to look at his left shoulder. The shirt itself was almost entirely crusted with blood but he didn't see a single mark on his shoulder. He wasn't surprised, but the others were. He then looked at his torso; no gash there either.

"What the fuck?" Jack exclaimed. "There's nothing there! We saw you bleeding like hell but now there's no even so much as a scratch." Just then Vaith walked back into the hideout and saw that Yusei was awake.

"You alright?" she asked  
"I'm a bit woozy, but other than that I'm fine."

"Yeah you're fine alright. There's not even a scratch on you," Jack pointed out. He and the others looked at Vaith. "I think you have some explaining to do." Vaith sighed. There certainly was a lot of explaining for her to do, more than the others even knew.

**Okay so another sorta kinda cliffhanger. Sorry, that's just the way I end my chapters. I don't know a thing about how a duel runner is built and I don't know if there is a gyroscope in the hologram projector that needs to be recalibrated every so often. I just thought it sounded really cool and like something Yusei would say. And come on, you've got to admit that it does sound pretty cool. **

**When I origanlly wrote the fight seen, I absolutely hated it, so when I typed it I pretty much changed everything except the fact that Yusei got hurt, that was part of the original. I just didn't like the way I went about it when I originally wrote it. I like it better this way, but I think I could still improve on that kind of thing. I also added a few YuseixVaith hints ^^. I've noticed that I make Yusei get hurt a lot T_T. I love Yusei, but that's the way the story goes. Besides, it always makes room for more YuseixVaith moments ^^.**

**As a warning, school is going to start up again soon so updates may be few and far between. But I do intend on updating, it's just a matter of if I can find the time to write. As always read and reveiw, just no flaming. The next chapter is going to be mostly talking so be prepared (I already have it planned out in my head. I just need to write it, type it, and polish it). Thank you for taking time to read my story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello people of Fanfiction. I'm sorry to update after such a long absence, but it couldn't help it. School work has gotten in the way and I had some serious writer's block. I usually write out the chapter before I type it, but I didn't like where the written version was going so I changed it and started typing from there. I like it better the way it is now. I think it gets a bit weak near the middle, so any feedback on that would be highly appreciated (as long as it's not a flame, then it won't be appreciated). And as you are probably well aware, I do ****not**** own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of its characters, they belong to one Mr. Kazuki Takahashi-sama (man's a genius). So without further delay, please enjoy this chapter. Oh, btw, there's a big Yusei x Vaith scene.**

Ch. 7- Unraveling Mysteries, Kinda

There certainly was a lot of explaining to do. Vaith had been hoping to avoid this conversation, but now there was no getting around it. She had never been comfortable talking about her powers; it usually ended for the worst. People usually thought she was some kind of freak and she'd be all alone again. So telling people she had become attached to, people she genuinely wanted to be friends with, about her powers was the last thing she wanted to do. "I guess first you'll want to know why there isn't a gash an inch deep on Yusei's shoulder or his torso," she said.

"That sounds like a good place to start," Jack retorted. Vaith sighed; things were going exactly as she feared.

"Simple, I healed his wounds. It's something I've been able to do since I was a child. Simply by touching someone I can heal wounds and ease their pain," she explained, her gaze drifting to the floor. The others were silent, intently looking at her, not sure what to make of her words. Sensing the tension in the air and their eyes focused on her, she placed her right hand over her opposite wrist. He wasn't sure how he knew, but Yusei knew she felt extremely uneasy and swung his legs over the edge of the couch.

"Don't try getting up Yusei. You are in no condition to be moving about," Vaith said softly.

"And why not, he looks fine to me," Jack cut in. His tone was a little less than friendly and that was putting it mildly. Vaith gripped her wrist more tightly.

"Heavy blood loss causes fatigue and dizziness, especially if you move too quickly. So it's better if he doesn't move around too much for a day or two." A heavy silence filled the hideout. Jack felt bad for having come off as a prick, seeing as she was genuinely concerned for Yusei and knew what she was doing. Yusei, like the others, sat silently staring at Vaith. He could tell she was uncomfortable telling the others about her powers. She'd been reluctant to tell him. Seeing her hanging her head and gripping her wrist made him want to walk up to her and wrap his arms around her, you know, just to comfort her, nothing more than that.

"Vaith, how did you know that we needed help?" Blister asked breaking the silence. She lifted her head and looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when you showed up you asked if we were alright, as if you expected something had happened," he replied. She let out another sigh and closed her eyes.

"Since I left I've been patrolling the area every night and keeping an eye on you guys."

"You've been watching us?" Yusei asked. She nodded.

"I didn't want something happening to you guys because you helped me out before so during the night I keep watch, just in case." That certainly put things into perspective and answered some of their questions, but it still didn't answer the question of why she had left in the first place.

"I need you guys to do me a favor," Vaith asked solemnly.

"What's that?" Yusei replied. If Vaith needed a favor he was more than willing to help her, though how much he could help her was in question due to his current condition.

"I need you guys to tell me exactly what happened." So the guys all told her what had transpired before she showed up. They started with the interruption of their rather giddy evening and stopped where Jack and Crow had brought a bleeding Yusei into the hideout. Vaith listened without interrupting while the eight males recalled as many details as they could. Yusei described the tattoos and phoenix design on the shirts of the intruders and it was Crow who recalled that they were looking for someone. Vaith took it all in but said nothing until they were finished; her facial expression didn't change during that time either.

"And that's about it," Crow concluded. Vaith nodded in acknowledgement but remained silent for a moment.

"Crow, you said they kept asking about someone," she said finally.

"Yeah, they kept asking about a girl. They wanted to know where she was and didn't believe us when we said we had no idea who they were talking about."

"I was afraid of that," she replied.

"Do you know those guys?" Blitz asked.

"Sort of. You see, those guys are part of a group that calls themselves the Raising Phoenix. The Phoenix originally started out as a group of people banding together just to survive the rough life of the Satellite. They didn't bother anybody, they just kept to themselves. That is until eight years ago. That's when they became aggressive. They attack anyone who enters their territory or anyone who opposes them and do so without mercy. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you guys, in case they decided to show up here."

"Why would they do that?" inquired Jack, "We've never crossed them before, we've never even heard of them." A strange look passed through Vaith's eyes and a realization dawned on Yusei. He thought back to the time when he and Vaith had first met. He caught her eye and as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, she gave him a barely perceptible nod.

"Because they were looking for me, that's why they didn't believe you when you said you didn't know who they were talking about. They knew you guys had helped me so they came to you in an effort to get to me," she admitted.

"Why would they be after you?" asked Rally.

"Let's just say that they aren't very fond of me and have a score to settle. That's why I left, so you guys wouldn't get dragged into this," she said sadly. Well, they finally had an answer to the question that had been at the back of their minds for a week, but it definitely wasn't an answer they had anticipated.

"How long have you been running from them?" Yusei questioned.

"For about five years now."

"Five years and they're still looking for you? Man, those guys really know how to hold a grudge," commented Tank who had been mostly silent since Jack and Crow brought in Yusei.

"I'll say," added Nervin, who had also been pretty quiet, "You must have done something pretty hefty to get them that angry…hey, where are you going?" Vaith had turned around and was heading for the doorway.

"I'm leaving," she stated plainly.

"What!" they others chorused together.

"But why?" pleaded Rally. He didn't want her leave, not since they had gotten to see her again; it just didn't seem fair.

"Trust me, it's better this way. Those guys attacked you because of me. I don't want to put you guys in any more danger than I already have so it's best that I just leave." With that she started to walk away. They were stunned. Losing her once was hard enough, but twice would be unbearable. Yusei was on the verge of getting up and stopping her, but Jack, of all people, beat him to it.

"You're not going anywhere," he said grabbing her arm. His grip was tight, but not tight enough to hurt her. She turned her head and looked him in the face, a confused expression on her own. "If you leave and run off on your own, who's going to help you if something happens? How will we now if you're alright? It's better that you stay here where you belong."

"Jack's right Vaith, if you're on your own we won't be able to help you if you get into trouble," Crow added.

"But…" she began in protest.

"No buts. You're better off here with us than out there on your own," Yusei said, sounding more like himself again. She didn't want to put them in any more danger and staying would do exactly that. But she couldn't bear to leave them, not again. She knew her decision to leave was the right one but Crow and Jack's words had shaken her resolve; Yusei had shattered it completely. She let out a resigned sigh.

"Alright, if you guys insist I'll stay." Rally cheered and Blitz, Nervin, Tank, and Blister did a four way high five, Jack let go of her arm. She then turned to face the others.

"You wouldn't by chance have planned on blocking the doorway if I tried to leave anyway did you?" she asked in all seriousness.

"Actually, that's exactly what we planned to do," Crow said sporting his classic goofy grin.

* * *

Later that night Yusei and Vaith sat in the front of the hideout. Yusei was still on the couch and Vaith had taken up residence in the chair by the computer. The others had retired to bed some time ago, leaving Yusei and Vaith as the only ones still in the front of the hideout.

"You know, this makes the second time in about a month that you've saved my life," Yusei commented. He lay back, resting his shoulders against the arm of the couch, one hand was settled on his stomach, the other was by his side. He was wearing his jacket again, but not his gloves, now that they were free of liquid crimson, besides, it had gotten a little chilly.

"I know," she responded, "But if things had gone as I planned I would have needed to save your life only once." By the tone of her voice Yusei could tell she felt extremely guilty about what had happened.

"Vaith," he said gently, "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. You almost died because of me." There was an abnormal shine in her eyes, like she was fighting to hold back tears. "Any of you could have died all because you helped me. If I had never showed up you guys never would have been in danger, so yes it is my fault." As she finished she lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Vaith come here." She looked up at him for a moment then got up and walked over to the couch. Yusei sat up, slowly, swung his feet over the edge of the couch and motioned for Vaith to sit next to him. She complied, facing him, but wouldn't meet his eyes. Seeing her like that tore Yusei apart. She looked so lonely, sad, vulnerable. Yusei placed his right hand on her cheek and tilted her face upwards so their eyes met.

Vaith's soft grey eyes were brimming with unshed tears as she looked into Yusei's cerulean eyes. Now that she couldn't look away, Yusei could clearly see all the pain and loneliness in the depths of her eyes. It was well hidden, she obviously had years of practice, but reading her came naturally to Yusei. The littlest gestures, the slightest shift in her eyes spoke volumes to him. It was how he knew what she was thinking, how she was feeling. He didn't understand how he knew what the gestures meant, but it was like he had known her for years instead of only weeks.

"When was the last time you cried?" he asked finally.

"I…I don't remember."

"Vaith," he whispered softly, "You don't have to hide your tears from me. If you're hurting then go ahead and cry, I won't think less of you because of it." His words stunned Vaith. For a majority of her life it had been ground into her head that crying was not allowed, it was a display of weakness and vulnerability; and that was something she couldn't afford to show anyone. Yet here Yusei was telling her it was alright to cry.

"You've suffered on your own for much too long," he continued in the same soft whisper, "Holding it all in isn't the way to go. You need to let someone in. You have to lower your defenses and allow someone to see what your heart truly looks like. Please Vaith just let it all out, quit torturing yourself." That was it. That was all it took. It had been far too long since someone had shown so much concern for her and how she felt. And now the dam had broken. The tears cascaded down her face in an unrelenting torrent, spilling over Yusei's hand on the one side. The years of loneliness, suffering, and pain were finally making their way to the surface and there was nothing Vaith could do to stop it. Nor did she try. She laid her head on his shoulder, her hands lying on his chest, and quietly cried. Yusei wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the other around her waist and pulled her close to him. He pressed his cheek to her temple and just let her cry.

In all his years he had never seen an individual cry so much, then again, he had also never met a person who seemed to have suffered as much as Vaith had. He didn't know the cause of her pain and suffering, but that was unimportant. What was important was that she let it out before she tore her own heart to shreds.

_What has she gone through to have suffered so much? And what does this Rising Phoenix have to do with anything?_ Yusei had so many questions, but felt that it wasn't the best time to ask. Instead, he turned his head slightly so that his face was now pressed into Vaith's hair. _Her hair is really soft, _Yusei thought closing his eyes. He then drew in a breath._ And it smells faintly of…lavender. Go figure. _As Vaith continued to cry he unwound his arm from her shoulders and started running his hand through her twilight tresses. He felt oddly calm and relaxed as he held her and the soft strands of her hair slipped through his fingers; it just felt so…natural, as if it happened all the time.

They stayed that way for hours and after some time Vaith's tears began to subside but she never made to move away from Yusei; she just let him hold her and run his fingers through her hair. Not a word had been said since Yusei had said that she needed to stop torturing herself, and frankly, nothing needed to be said; the two of them had a way of communicating without words.

* * *

Vaith fit in seamlessly with the others, it was like she had always been there. She would spar with Jack and Crow, she'd play with Rally and listen to the others tell stories. But she never said a word about herself, where she was from, what her life had been like (though they got the idea not to ask), or anything of a personal nature. She was just one big mystery.

None of the others knew about the night Vaith had cried in Yusei's arms. When they woke up the next morning they saw nothing out of the ordinary; Yusei was still asleep on the couch and Vaith was asleep in the chair by the computer. But after she had stopped crying, Vaith had spent most of the remainder of the night in Yusei's arms, letting him hold her and run his fingers through her hair. It was only after she started dozing off in his arms that he let go and carried her over to the computer chair, setting her down gently and then returning to the couch. The two of them never mentioned it, even to each other.

"I have an idea, let's go bother Trudge, for old times' sake," suggested Blitz one afternoon about a week after the incident with the lackeys. He, Yusei, Blister, Tank, Nervin, and Jack were all sitting around the hideout, bored out of their minds.

"I think Trudge is a little busy working security for the new bridge to bother with us," Yusei countered.

"That's too bad. It was really fun to make him angry and have him chase us all over the Satellite. Good times."

"Are Vaith and Rally back yet? They seem to have been gone a while," voiced Blister.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, they have been gone awhile," Tank responded.

"What were they supposed to be doing?" asked Blitz.

"They went grocery shopping," Jack stated plainly. Blitz raised an eyebrow.

"It takes that long to go grocery shopping?"

"Rally probably got sidetracked so it took longer than they thought it would," said Blister, "At least that's what I think." Suddenly they heard rapid footfalls coming down the tunnel.

"You guys hear that?" Nervin asked.

"Yeah, it sounds like someone's running down the tunnel," Blister added. Sure enough, someone was running down the tunnel.

"Hey it's Rally," Blitz said, "But where's Vaith?" Rally came sprinting down the tunnel as if he was running from his worst nightmare. He stopped outside the hideout and leaned against the doorway for support. He was panting heavily.

"What's the hurry Rally? And where's Vaith?" asked Tank.

"Vaith…trouble…back that way," he managed to say, pointing back the way he came. "Told… to…get help." Jack and Yusei were on their feet in an instant.

"What happened?" Yusei asked.

"We were…attacked by…guys in black…six of…them." Yusei nodded.

"Rally, you stay here with the others. Come on Jack." With that the two of them took off up the tunnel the way Rally had come. It didn't take them long to find Vaith locked in hand-to-hand combat with six guys. They had her surrounded and it wasn't looking too good. They all were bigger than her and one of them had a red wing shaped tattoo on his right arm. He had short, dark hair, and wore a pair of brown gloves on his hands.

"Hey let us in on the fun," Jack shouted. The six turned to see who had appeared but three of them were sent flying. Jack hit two while Yusei took out another. Seeing an opening, Vaith ducked under the other goons and moved into open space.

"Rally?" she asked looking at the two newcomers.

"Fine, just out of breath," Yusei replied. Together the three of them sent five of the goons running, the only one left was the one wearing gloves. Actually, the other five had seemed afraid of Vaith. If she come anywhere within five feet of them, they panicked.

"You two shouldn't have interfered," said the kid with gloves. He looked about seventeen, was muscular and had a serious attitude.

"Oh, and why not?" Jack taunted.

"Because now you're going to regret it." The kid charged. Jack and Yusei were directly in front of him and both of them braced themselves. He aimed a kick at Jack's knees. Jack prepared to block it, but instead was caught off-guard by a punch to the chest. He went reeling backwards and slammed into the platform.

"Jack!"

"I'd be more worried about myself if I were you," the gloved kid said aiming a punch at Yusei's head. Yusei knocked it aside with his left hand. But the kid just smirked evilly, as if he had wanted it to happen. Giving Yusei no time to react, he swung his opposite hand at Yusei's throat. Yusei closed his eyes, bracing himself for a blow that was sure to hurt like hell, but it never came. When he opened his eyes Vaith stood in front of him with her right arm in a defensive position. The gloved kid did not look happy. But before he could launch another assault Jack sent him flying with a kick to the chest. As he struggled to his feet he looked directly at Vaith.

"Just remember that as long as you bear that mark, he has power over you." He then turned and ran down the tunnel. Vaith relaxed her stance, but then Jack grabbed her right arm.

"What were you thinking? We had it under control," he shouted. Yusei was stunned that Jack was being so harsh, but then again it was Jack. Then he saw the look on Vaith's face.

"Jack, let go," he said. Jack didn't hear him.

"Jack," he said a little louder this time. Jack still didn't hear him. He kept shouting at Vaith.

"JACK," Yusei finally shouted. Jack looked at him, confused. It was very rare for Yusei to shout at anyone. "Let go of her arm." Jack obeyed, though reluctantly, and released Vaith's arm. No sooner had he let go then Vaith cradled her arm. Yusei immediately moved to her side, Jack just stared.

"I didn't grip your arm that hard," he said.

"Jack, look at you hand," Yusei replied. Jack, curious as to what Yusei was getting at, looked down at his hand. It was entirely red. His eyes widened in shock and he looked back at Vaith.

"Where's your first aid kit?" Yusei asked.

"In my bag," she replied still cradling her arm, "Back in the hideout." A few minutes later the three of them were back at the hideout. Vaith walked in and sat on the couch, no one thought anything of it. The others bombarded Yusei and Jack with questions about what had happened. All the while no one noticed Vaith sitting on the couch attempting to treat her arm herself, until Rally asked a question.

"Vaith are you alright?" The others looked and saw what she was doing. Her sleeve was rolled up to about her elbow and she was dabbing at the inside of her forearm with gauze pads. They were surprised by the look of indifference on her face. Yusei was the first one to move. He walked over to the couch and knelt down in front of Vaith, putting a hand over hers, preventing her from trying to clean the wound herself. Their eyes met and they looked at each other for a moment. Then Vaith sighed and nodded. Yusei removed his gloves and began to treat her arm. There were several cuts on the inside of her arm, all of them jagged and at an odd angle. They also looked to be quite deep.

"What happened to your arm?" Rally asked.

"It was cut by glass," she replied. Jack looked at her incredulously. "When we were fighting those guys I noticed a glint of light on that guy's gloves, so when he made a motion toward Yusei's throat I blocked it with my arm." Yusei stared at her; in return she offered him a small smile. He shook his head and continued to tend to her wounds. He carefully cleaned the gashes and removed any traces of glass left in them. He then carefully wiped off the blood and neatly bandaged her forearm.

"Thanks," she said. Yusei nodded in response. Jack and the others were leaning against the wall and quietly observing, until Jack spoke.

"Vaith, what did that asshole mean when he said that 'As long as you bear that mark he has power over you'?" Vaith sighed.

"It's a really long story," she replied.

"That's fine, we don't have anywhere we need to be."

"Then you might want to get comfortable, this will take a while." Yusei took his place against the wall to Vaith's right, Jack stayed where he was; the others shifted around until they were comfortable. Then Vaith began.

"You see, when I was seven I ran into a kid lying in the street. He was about three years older than me, had dirty blond hair and brown eyes. His clothes were a bit ragged, but that was nothing unusual in the Satellite. I ran over to him to see if he was alright; he was pretty beat up. Naturally, I did the first thing that came to mind."

"You healed his wounds," Yusei finished for her. She nodded then continued.

"He watched silently as I took care of his wounds and it was only after I had finished that he spoke to me. He asked how I did it and I told him it was something I had always been able to do. He then told me his name was Damien and that if I need a place to stay that I should come with him. I had been wandering about on my own for a while so I took him up on his offer. He led me to a remote part of the Satellite where he lived with a group of people who called themselves the Phoenix." Jack, who had been leisurely reclining against the wall and listening to Vaith, nearly fell over. Yusei turned his head and looked at her in astonishment. The others stared in disbelief.

"You were one of them?" questioned Jack, recovering his balance before plummeting to the ground. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"Let her finish Jack," Yusei stated calmly. Vaith took a breath and continued with her tale.

"Yes, I was one of the Rising Phoenix. But you have to remember, I was only seven years old at the time. I'm not using that as an excuse, but just think about it. What would you do if you were seven years old, all alone, and someone, who wasn't afraid of a power that many others condemned you for, offered you a home?" Jack considered the circumstances and came to a conclusion.

"I would've done the same thing." Vaith nodded and pressed on.

"So Damien explained how things worked. He told me that the group was called the Rising Phoenix and that everyone had to start at the bottom, with basic training. So the next day I went into basic training. There you were taught how to fight, survive, and avoid being captured by Sector Security. Most of the kids there were my age, seven or eight and, like me, had nowhere to go and no one to look after them. Most kids spent two years in basic training; I completed it in one year. I was so grateful that Damien had given me a chance when no one else would that I felt I owed him a great deal, so I worked non-stop until I mastered everything they had to teach. After you completed basic training you did grunt work for the gang. You usually spent four years as a grunt doing border patrol, scavenging for food, things of that nature. I was a grunt for only two years. Once you had completed basic training and did your time as a grunt you were initiated into the gang. Not many actually make it that far; those who did were thirteen or older. The initiation ceremony is where the red tattoo is placed on the forearm of the right arm."

"What's the significance of the tattoo?" Blister asked.

"It shows that you're a senior member of the gang and have authority over the grunts. It's also the symbol of the gang, the red wings of a phoenix. And by that time Damien had become leader of the Phoenix. He was impressed by how quickly I had moved up in the gang and personally oversaw my initiation. Most of the senior members were not happy at all. There I was, a ten year old girl, who had the attention of the leader of the entire gang while most of them never got any kind of recognition for their achievements. So to say that they didn't like me would be a severe understatement. Once I was initiated Damien made me the gang's medical expert. I had also told him about my ability to see people's spiritual energy so I was also the gang's recon expert."

"You can see people's spiritual energy?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, I can tell when people are close by, even if it's pitch black."

_That's why they wouldn't follow us when we went into the tunnel,_ Yusei thought. _They knew she had the advantage in the dark._

"Anyway, that's when the Phoenix started getting aggressive, pushing the other gangs out of their homes and claiming the area for themselves. And Damien had it set up so that no one in the operation knew the entirety of what was going on, so that if one was caught be Sector Security they couldn't rat out the others. It was my job to go into foreign territory and scout it out. I memorized where things were and the routines of whatever gang had their base in the area and drew up maps. Then the strike force went in with me in the lead. It was my job to make sure that we didn't run into any trouble or guards."

"How long did you do that?" asked Nervin.

"I was with the Phoenix for six years, from the time I was seven until I was thirteen," Vaith replied with a sigh. Obviously there was more to tell, and whatever it was went pretty deep. "You see, during that time Damien took me under his wing. He trained me personally, which didn't sit well with the other senior members either; so I wasn't very well liked. So Damien had been my mentor for six years. I didn't always agree with his policies but I held my tongue because I felt that I still owed him for giving me a home. Anyway, after six years he felt he could trust me enough to tell me his entire plan. There were only a few that knew, and they were his most trusted captains."

"What was it he was after?" Yusei asked.

"He wanted to take over the Satellite and then wage war against New Domino City," Vaith replied plainly. For the second time the guys were all taken aback.

"He wanted to do what?" Jack practically shouted. "How on earth did he plan to that?"

"He planned on taking over the Satellite district by district until it was entirely under his control. Then he would use the resources of Sector Security to wage war on New Domino City."

"There's nothing to worry about. There's no way he can do that," Blister added.

"He's been doing it for eight years and he's come this far. They operate mostly underground so Sector Security is completely in the dark. He originally planned to have all of Satellite under his control by now, but he's run into some problems."

"What kind of problems?" Tank asked.

"The gangs he's trying to oust from their territories somehow become aware of his plans and are able to adequately defend themselves. Also, some of his bigger schemes are being sabotaged. Their movements are reported to the other gangs so that the Phoenix can't make any progress with their plan," Vaith replied. Yusei cracked a small smile.

"It's like the Phoenix is being watched," he said.

"Yeah, but I wonder by who," Blitz said. "I mean it's a good thing these guys are being held up, but who's holding them up?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know who's keeping them at bay myself," added Nervin. Jack rolled his eyes. They had completely missed the underlying meaning of what Yusei said.

"Do you remember how Vaith said that these guys had a score to settle with her?" he asked impatiently.

"Yeah, why?" they asked. Jack smacked his forehead with his palm.

"Can you not put two and two together?" Rally asked, "Vaith is the reason they can't get anything done. She's been running from them for five years, and has been trying to stop them at every turn. She's the one who has been telling the others about the Phoenix's movements and what they plan to do. She's the one who is keeping them from accomplishing their goal."

"Oh."

"Yeesh, you guys can be so dense sometimes."

"But what does any of that have to do with this 'mark' that guy referred to?" inquired Jack looking back at Vaith. "Since you were initiated I assume that you have one of those tattoos as well." Vaith dropped her gaze and put her hand over her opposite arm, just above the wrist.

"Not exactly," she said. Jack raised an eyebrow. "You see, Damien thought I was different from everyone else in the gang hence why he oversaw my initiation personally. He was the one who placed the mark on my arm."

"Wait," Yusei said, suddenly realizing something, "You said that the tattoo was placed on the right arm, but there was no mark on your right arm." Vaith nodded and pushed up her left sleeve. There on her forearm, just above the wrist was a mark, a mark in the shape of wings. It looked like the tattoo of the Phoenix, but it seemed different somehow. The mark was a light pinkish color and the wingtips pointed to Vaith's wrist.

"What the heck?" shouted Jack. "That's not like any tattoo I've ever seen."

"Yeah, why would he make it pink if everyone else's was red?" asked Tank.

"It's because that's not a tattoo," Yusei said looking at Vaith's arm from where he stood. "It's a scar." The others looked at Yusei then back at Vaith. She nodded indicating Yusei was right.

"How did he do that?" Rally asked his face drained of color.

"It was cauterized into my arm." Jack and Yusei both froze; Blister's jaw dropped to the floor; the others just looked confused.

"What does that mean?" Rally asked, "It doesn't sound good."  
"It's not," Yusei commented. "It means that it was burned into her arm."

**Okay, a bit of a dramatic cliffhanger type ending. I'm sorry, it's just my tendency to be dramatic (or at least attempt to be dramatic, a lot of the time it fails miserably). So the Yusei x Vaith scene was one of my favorite parts to write. It was also a lot easier than I thought it would be. But I think the fight scene and Vaith's explanation are quite weak. I'm not sure why, but I feel it's not my best work. For that I am sorry, but I really did try. If you have suggestions on how to improve my writing please share them with me (in a kind manner) or if you have any suggestions for the plot I would love to hear them, though I make no promises on using them. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and a big thank you to those who have reviewed in the past and have marked this story as a favorite or have added me to your favorite author/author alert list. It means a lot to me. Until next time (I have no idea when that will be, but I'll make an effort to make it sooner rather than later)! ^_^**


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